Getting There
by Taryn Clare
Summary: As Otto, Reggie, Sammy, and Twister travel to New Zealand to compete in one of the country’s most famous and intense competitions, they develop new relationships and experience events that will change their lives forever.. RTS more
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own the Nickelodeon show, Rocket Power. In fact, I rarely watch it anymore.   
  
However, not to spoil the plot, if I did in fact have any influence whatsoever about what happened with Rocket Power, I would promptly suggest that a certain two characters in the show get together..  
  
Dedication: To my friend, Kristen, who has taught me to see the humorous side of things in life,   
  
and that if somebody doesn't like you, "screw them!!"  
  
Author's Note: This is the prologue to my story, or in other words, the chapter that gives you a little background information that will set up the plot. Enjoy..  
  
****  
  
Getting There  
  
By Taryn  
  
Prologue: The Legends of Ocean Shores  
  
****  
  
The town of Ocean Shores, California was not a big place. A good amount of tourists went there over the summer with the simple intention of just having a good time. After all, the thought of huge ocean waves, all day surf lessons and gorgeous people in skimpy swimsuits would be enough to lure almost any impressionable person onto a plane headed for California. But after spending a few days in Ocean Shores, tourists quickly realized that it was a dwelling like no other. The ocean did indeed produce beautiful, humongous waves that radiated a type of awesome power. However, there were no teachers available to show tourists how to surf those waves. And there were no super-models prancing around the beach in skimpy bikinis.  
  
  
  
The beach of Ocean Shores was certainly populated, but all the residents wore wetsuits and carried surf boards. When asked for surf lessons, most simply turned away. The few who actually spoke to the tourists said that anybody who lived in Ocean Shores was born an athlete - they did not need lessons to learn how to surf. It was just a natural thing. And when the tourists cast their gazes back into the ocean, they could see that the residents were right - every surfer who populated a wave glided on it so smoothly, it was as though they were flying. When asked about the wetsuits they were wearing, the Ocean Shores surfers held their heads up with a certain pride that the tourists had never seen before, and declared that they didn't need to show off anything but their skills on the beach - a true athlete could impress anyone with pure talent.  
  
So, somewhat put out and more than a little irritated, the tourists would stop and ask about a good place to eat. As usual, most town residents would walk right by, or more commonly glide right by on a skateboard, completely ignoring the annoyed tourists. Some teenagers would even mutter a barely audible word under their breath that most people heard to be "shoobie." But there was always one woman who would stop to answer questions. With a warm smile and infectious laugh, she would kindly point the tourists to the most popular fast food restaurant in Ocean Shores, called The Shore Shack. As they headed toward the eatery, the tourists couldn't help but look once more over their shoulders at the unusual bright violet-colored hair that stood tall atop the helpful woman's head.  
  
The Shore Shack was, by far, the greatest restaurant in all of Ocean Shores. There was nothing fancy about the place - it was a small outside diner located right near the beach. They served hamburgers, tacos, hotdogs, and just about any other type of fast food you could think of. The odd thing was, the diner was only run by two men. You'd think that a place as popular and stocked with food as theirs would have many employees, but somehow the two managed to run the place smoothly all by themselves.   
  
There was Ray, who mainly took orders and handled the money. Tall, tan, and muscular, Ray was a very good catch to most of the female tourists. As long as he didn't take off his old fishing cap, which carefully concealed a bald patch in the center of his head that just didn't seem to belong, Ray usually looked as though he were a male model. But in reality, he was a single father who lost his wife years ago to a fatal case of cancer.   
  
Tito was Ray's business partner and the man who was always behind the grill. He could make anything and everything that you could ever ask for, as long as it was on the menu. Tito was born and raised in Hawaii, and moved to Ocean Shores, California somewhere along the way. But living in Hawaii for so many years had equipped him with plenty of wisdom. Tourists stopping in for a bite to eat would either see Tito taking a break from the grill and giving another person advice, or be lucky enough to receive some directly from the man himself. Tito often quoted Hawaiian phrases that he claimed to have learned from his great-grandfather. And although what Tito said rarely made much sense to the tourists, they listened intently, and assumed that whatever Tito told them will eventually be of some great importance in their lives. Tito's plump build made him seem very friendly, warm, and inviting, and the tourists rarely turned down the opportunity to chat with him.  
  
And as the tourists sat at the diner table and ate their food, they were content. Their vacation to Ocean Shores hadn't exactly worked out as planned thus far with no surf lessons or bikinis, but a nice hamburger, crispy fries, and an ice cold soda seemed to make it all better.   
  
If the sun was hot, the day was ripe, and the waves were still, something else would usually happen. The pounding of several pairs of feet would be heard on the blacktop just outside the Shore Shack, usually accompanied by four voices. One would say something like, "Dude, do a trick for the camera!" And then a very high-pitched voice would shriek, "I'm getting sunburned, let's go inside!" A third voice, sounding rather mature and reprimanding, would say, "Come on, you guys, quit goofing around!" But the fourth voice stood out the most to the tourists, and they would curiously turn around in their seats to see who it belonged to.  
  
They were about to meet Otto Rocket.  
  
"Why do guys have to be so lame?" Otto would demand impatiently as he led the way over to the Shore Shack, with his close-knit clan right at his heels. "We don't need to take a break yet." Then the teenage boy would plop down carelessly into a chair in the diner, completely unaware of the attention he was drawing to himself.  
  
"That's my son Otto," the tourists would hear Ray announce gruffly. "Always has to be in the spotlight, wherever he goes," he would mutter as he shook his head and quietly chuckled.  
  
The tourists would turn their heads from Ray back to Otto and his friends. With skeptical eyes, they would look the four teenagers over, noticing everything from the worn-in black tennis shoes they were all wearing to the skateboards they were all clutching tightly to their sides.   
  
Then the tourists would merely turn back to their plates of food and finish eating, automatically assuming that Otto and his three friends were just a few ordinary surfer teenagers with the same ridiculous pride and arrogance that seemed to belong to every other citizen in the town of Ocean Shores.  
  
Little did they know, those tourists had just caught a glimpse of the four people who would become the living legends of their time.  
  
****  
  
Author's Note: To be continued.. Please review. Also! The summary for the story is as follows:  
  
Otto Rocket is a self-obsessed, over competitive, thirteen-year-old boy from Ocean Shores, California. He and his three best friends decide to team up and enter a very popular annual competition in New Zealand, in which kids from all over the world pair up in teams and compete in very difficult races for a shot at getting a sponsorship by the most famous X-treme sports brand in the world. At the end it is decided which team is the best, and also who is the lucky athlete that gets the sponsorship. Otto, who was expecting to win, quickly realizes that things are a bit different in New Zealand, where he isn't the star athlete as usual. His focus slowly shifts, however, as he soon finds himself drooling over a fellow competitor, Audrey Parker. Both her and Otto are excellent athletes, which makes the races very close. Otto's attempts to get to know Audrey better are often successful. But one of Audrey's other admirerers, Theodore, get jealous and tries to make Otto's life harder in any way he can, hoping to snatch Audrey up while he's do it.. Meanwhile, Otto's best friend, Twister, developes a crush on Otto's sister, Reggie. As feelings become mutual, Reggie starts to lose interest in her first crush, who now likes her even more and is completely unaware of Twister's newfound feelings for her.. These love triangles begin to intensify along with the competition. Things take a surprising turn as the final race comes to an end. Which team will win? Audrey's? Otto's? And who will end up being named athlete of the year and be awarded the sponsorship? As the competition ends, Otto gets ready to leave, knowing he'll never see Audrey again. But Audrey unexpectedly surprises Otto and gets him in high spirits once more. A series of dramatic events follows as heartbreaking secrets are revealed, and crushes become reality. To top things off, a very rare hurricane hits the beach, giving Audrey the chance of a lifetime to conquer her deepest, darkest, fear. All these unusual incidents guarantee Audrey and Otto a summer they'll never forget..  
  
*IF* you recognize the summary somewhat and/or have read 'Getting There' (chapters 1-17) before, you're probably wondering what in the world I am doing! Well, I have decided to restart the story, adding more details to the beginning. NONE of the other chapters will change - I'm just going to re-add them day by day, giving me the time to write chapters 18 and beyond in the process. If you want, you can just skim the chapters until I get to #18, which will be new to you. If you have NOT read the story before and don't know what I'm talking about, never mind. :-) 


	2. Chapter One: The Beginning

Author's note: The first chapter is HERE.. and awaiting your reviews. :-) I have to warn you that it's a little fast-paced, but none of the other chapters are like that. Just try to bear with me here, because a lot happens in this chapter. Enjoy!  
  
***  
  
Getting There  
  
By Taryn  
  
Chapter One: The Beginning  
  
***  
  
The sun was set high in Ocean Shores, making the air humid and sunburn all the more likely to strike. It was definitely not a typical California day. In fact - it was the hottest day the town of Ocean Shores had ever had - one-hundred-and-eleven degrees right at the end of June.   
  
The only places that were even remotely cool were the ones that provided some sort of shelter, away from the burning sun and roasting blacktop. The most popular place to take refuge, as usual, was The Shore Shack. Today, it was packed full of angry tourists who were all in desperate need of sun tan lotion. One large woman had announced that she would pay twenty dollars for just two ounces of lotion, but nobody would spare any.   
  
A few years later, some people would say that this extremely hot day had occured for a reason - it was meant to let everybody know that something was different.. that something was about to change.. that today was Otto Rocket's lucky day.  
  
Sitting at a table in one corner were the only three Ocean Shores residents in The Shore Shack, aside from Ray and Tito. They were, of course, Otto and two of his friends. It was a very interesting site to see, and many people turned their heads not once but twice to look back at what the teenagers were doing.  
  
Amongst a very large amount of clutter that was scattered all around the table - including empty coke cups and french fry bowls - sat Otto and his sister, Reggie, both of whom were leaning in anxiously on either side of their other friend, Sam Dullard. Sammy, who was at the head of the table, was in deep concentration as he sat hunched over, scribbling on a piece of paper and occasionally looking up to punch in some numbers on a calculator.  
  
Then, out of nowhere, another teenager appeared at the entrance of The Shore Shack, trying to balance a skateboard, video camera, and what seemed like a fairly large amount of cash in his hands. He hastily pushed his way through the tourists, ignoring their looks of disgust, and arrived at the table his friends were sitting at, panting heavily.  
  
"Here," he said shortly, pushing the bills into Sammy's hands and dropping his other things carelessly onto the ground. "That's the last of it."  
  
Otto grinned at Twister as Sammy went busily back to his piece of paper. They did a special hand shake and left it at that.  
  
After about five minutes, when all that could be heard was the scribbling of Sammy's stubby pencil on his piece of paper, the noise stopped. Sammy let out an exhausted sigh, threw the pencil down, and leaned back in his chair. He was wearing a very indifferent expression on his face, and it was impossible to tell the results of his calculations just by looking at him.  
  
"Well?" Otto demanded after a moment. "Do we have enough money or what?"  
  
Sammy turned to look at Otto for a moment with a slight frown set on his pudgy face. But in a split second the frown turned into a grin. Sammy nodded.  
  
Otto let out a loud whoop and practically tackled Sammy out of his chair. "You're awesome, Squid!" he yelled, and by now every tourist in The Shore Shack was looking at him with annoyance.  
  
"Don't thank me," said Sammy as he chuckled slightly and tried to push Otto off of him. "Thank my brain."  
  
Reggie grinned at Sammy for a moment and then turned to look at Otto. "So Rocket Boy, does this mean what I think it means?"  
  
"Hell yeah!" exclaimed Otto with immense satisfaction as he plopped back down into his own chair, grinning from ear to ear. "It means we're goin' to New Zealand!"   
  
***  
  
"Please, dad? Please? Please? PLEASE?" Otto practically shouted the last word out of frustration as he looked expectantly up at his father, Ray. It was late that evening, and Otto, Reggie, and Ray sat at their kitchen table. Reggie and Otto were ready to do whatever was necessary to convince their dad to let them go to New Zealand. They had the money, it was official. The only thing they needed now was Ray's permisssion..  
  
Ray looked from Otto to Reggie and frowned. "So you're telling me that you guys all got jobs, worked behind my back, and saved enough money to go to this competition in - where is it - New Zealand?!"  
  
Reggie and Otto nodded their heads in unison. "Here," said Reggie quickly, picking up a packet of papers and handing it to her father. "Otto and I sent for this a long time ago, when we first found out about the competition. It explains everything - the cost, dates, and information about the competition."  
  
Ray took the packet from Reggie and stared at his kids for a moment in disbelief. Without a word, he skimmd the front page of the packet. "This is going to cost a lot of money," he began, but Otto cut him off.  
  
"We told you, dad, we already have all the money!" he insisted.  
  
Ray looked back at the sheet and began to read a paragraph aloud, more to himself than to his kids. "'You've chosen to receive information on the most exciting junior extreme sports competition in the world! This year, the seventh annual RE-PLAY Competition will take place from July 6th through July 11th. This competition, sponsored entirely by RE-PLAY Extreme Sports, has taken place every year for the past six years. Each year, a select few teams of four teenagers from all around the world compete in a wide variety of extreme races. And each year, the RE-PLAY company has found a new extreme sports talent that has displayed excellent athletic skills throughout all the races. The object of the competition is to work with your team to do your best in each race. Whichever individual is the most successful in all the races will be awarded a five-year sponsorship from RE-PLAY and the opportunity to turn pro in the extreme sport of their choice. Whichever team is the most successful in the races will receive $5000 worth of RE-PLAY gear. This is truly an excellent opportunity for any young athletes who think they have what it takes to triumph in the exciting world of extreme sports! If you'd like to apply to be able to participate in the RE-PLAY competition, please fill out the enclosed application and send it to us by June 10th. Good Luck!'"   
  
Ray's eyes darted from the paper to his kids. "It says you had to fill out an application.."  
  
"Already did it," said Reggie happily. "They accepted our team! All four of us - Otto, myself, Twister, and Sammy!"  
  
"How could they not accept us?" said Otto casually as he tilted his chair back and put his legs onto the table. "With all the trophies I've won?"  
  
Ray ignored his son's comment and just shook his head, looking back at the paper. He seemed to be at a loss for words. "Well, guys," he said finally, handing the packet back to Reggie, "this does seem like it would be a lot of fun, and I think you would both do really great. You said you have the money to cover the expenses?"  
  
Both Otto and Reggie nodded eagerly.  
  
"Well, then..," Ray paused for a moment to think. "Oh, heck, why not? Let's do it!"  
  
***  
  
Everything happened so fast in the next couple of days that the next thing Otto knew, it was time to leave for New Zealand. He had been so thrilled and excited ever since his dad had given them permission to go. He and Reggie had spent the next forty-eight hours helping to convince Mr. and Mrs. Rodriguez as well as Mrs. Dullard to let their sons go to New Zealand as well. They were pleasantly surprised to find that each parent agreed so easily, especially Sammy's mother!  
  
The next thing they had to do was pack for the trip. Otto and Twister both used the same method - taking a few shirts and pairs of pants and just stuffing them into their bags. Reggie, of course, was a bit neater and took more time to pack. She finished one day before they were scheduled to leave.   
  
And now - none of them could believe it - it was July 5th, and their plane was scheduled to depart in four and a half hours, meaning they had to leave for the airport. Ray's old but sturdy station wagon was parked right in front of the Rocket House, trunk open, ready to be loaded with luggage. Otto and Twister had carlessly thrown their luggage into the wagon and were practically shouting at Reggie and Sammy to hurry up.  
  
"Oh dude, this is going to be so awesome," Twister said to Otto as they were sitting on the curb by Otto's house and waiting for Reggie, Sammy, Ray, and Tito, who had decided to come along as well with heavy persuasion from all of them. "You should've seen Lars's face when he found out that our team got accepted into the competition! He looked so mad, which makes this whole thing even sweeter than it already is!"  
  
"Awesome, bro," muttered Otto distractedly as he craned his head backwards towards the house. "REGGIE! DAD! GET OUT HERE! IF WE DON'T LEAVE SOON WE'RE GOING TO MISS OUR PLANE!"  
  
Two minutes later, Reggie appeared in the doorway, trying with difficulty to carry three suitcases out to the car. Twister hastily ran over to her and took most of her luggage. He grinned at Otto as he put it into the trunk.  
  
Otto rolled his eyes. Just then, Tito walked briskly out of the house carrying a suitcase followed by Ray, who closed the door behind them.   
  
"Everybody in the car!" Ray exclaimed as he loaded the last of the luggage into the station wagon. "We're leaving!" At that, Reggie, Otto, and Twister scrambled quickly into the car.  
  
"Alright, New Zealand - here we come!" said Ray enthusiastically as he started the engine of the car.  
  
"Dad - WAIT!" Reggie screamed suddenly. Everybody turned around to look at her, and she pointed frantically to Sammy, who was running as fast as he could to catch up to the station wagon, several suitcases dragging behind him.  
  
"Oh, uh, right..," muttered Ray, turning slightly pink. "Almost forgot Sam.."  
  
***  
  
The airplane was surprisingly not very crowded. Otto figured it was probably because not many people in Los Angeles were planning to go to New Zealand for a vacation. After a long debate about who would get the window seat, Otto reluctantly had to settle for the middle, between Reggie and Twister.  
  
Ray, who was sitting in the row of seats behind his kids and Twister, leaned forward toward them. "Get ready for a long flight, kids," he whispered to them. "It's going to take twenty hours to fly to New Zealand, you know."  
  
"We know that dad," muttered Otto impatiently. "Reg and me practically had that info packet memorized, okay? We know all about the competition! Leave me alone about that already."  
  
For a moment, Ray looked slightly offended. "Fine," he snapped. "I suggest you get as much rest as you can, then, Otto, because you were the one who wanted to do this, so I expect you to work as hard as you can once we arrive in New Zealand. We're not traveling ten thousand miles just so you can goof off - I expect you to really focus and win this." With that, Ray leaned back in his chair and put on a pair of headphones.  
  
"What's with Raymoundo, dude?" Twister mumbled to Otto. "He seemed really ticked off."  
  
Otto just shrugged. "He can get like that sometimes, you know? He's competitive just like me."   
  
After about twelve hours of nothing but playing board games, eating, and talking, (Sammy, however, was perfectly content with reading), they were all starting to get tired. Otto reached across Twister's lap and opened the plastic shade that covered the little plane window, expecting it to be dark. But to his great surprise, he saw that they were surrounded by white fluffy clouds and rays of bright sunlight.  
  
Reggie noticed Otto's confused look and grinned. "Hey, dooshbag, remember that we're in another part of the world. The time is way different than back in California - duh!"  
  
"Who told you that, your boyfriend Sammy?" Otto asked loudly. Reggie's face flushed and she punched Otto in the arm - hard. Otto had known for a long time that Reggie had always had a crush on Sammy. The only person who didn't seem to know was the Squid himself.  
  
Otto sighed and leaned back into the comfort of the airplane chair. He remembered what his dad had told him earlier.. 'Get as much rest as you can..' He couldn't agree more just then, because he was extremely tired. Hopefully, if he just closed his eyes, the rest of the time would pass by in a flash. Maybe they'd be in New Zealand by the time he woke up..   
  
Yes, he thought to himself. He'll just close his eyes, and by the time he opened them again, they'd be there, ready to compete. And that's exactly what happened.  
  
Otto stepped off the plane's ramp and into the airport, immediately noticing that just about everything around him was different than in Ocean Shores. Everybody's clothing was oddly dissimilar, and the airport was filled with accents that could only belong to New Zealanders. As Otto looked around the huge airport in awe, Twister stepped off the ramp as well.  
  
"Woah, that was a long flight, Ottoman!" he said sleepily as rubbed his eyes vigorously. "Twenty hours is way too long to sit on a plane for!"  
  
"I thought it was all right," said Sammy cheerfully as he followed Twister off the plane. "Gave me a chance to do some reading!"  
  
Twister just rolled his eyes. "Oh, uh, yeah, me too," he muttered.  
  
Otto looked at Twister and shook his head. "Just concentrate on the races from now until we leave, Twist," said Otto. "Like Raymoundo said, if we want the team to win this, we have to focus!"  
  
"Chill out, Otto!" muttered Reggie. "Quoting Raymoundo is one thing, but you're starting to sound just as uptight as him too!" She walked out of the plane followed by her father and Tito. "I'm sure the team'll do just fine, and this is supposed to be fun. Geeze!"  
  
"Now Reggie, Otto is right," said Raymoundo as he buried his face in a map of New Zealand. "You guys need to face up to your responsibilities. You wanted to participate in this competition, and you might as well get your money's worth from it. You'll win. But you'll need to work hard, because there's going to be some pretty tough competition in these races."  
  
Otto frowned. "I was just fooling around, dad. We should at least try to have some fun," he said.  
  
Reggie glanced around. "Wow, New Zealand is pretty cool. Even their airport is different."  
  
"Yeah, whatever," breathed Otto, "Let's just leave, I want to check everything out!"  
  
"Okay then, let's go," said Raymoundo. "We have a rental car waiting for us down by the airport entrance."  
  
New Zealand was beautiful. There were huge grassy hills and mountains everywhere. Sammy had a camera with him and was snapping pictures like crazy. Reggie was taking notes on the environment, for an upcoming article in her 'Zine. She had been babbling on and on about how next month's issue would feature nothing but details on the RE-PLAY Competition, and it was starting to drive Otto mad. He and Twister were sitting on the edges of their seats, not really paying attention to the scenery, but just thinking ahead to what the upcoming races would be like.  
  
"So Otto, after we get to the campsite and unpack our things, you should start stretching and such for tomorrow's race. You're going to win the first one, I can just feel it!" Ray said as he tried to navigate his way on the roads.  
  
"Raymoundo sure is uptight," muttered Twister.  
  
"Tell me about it," Otto whispered back. "Obviously I'd like to do well, but when Raymoundo keeps reminding me it gets really annoying."  
  
Half and hour later, the car came to a stop, and they were there - the RE-PLAY racing grounds. It was a semi-wooded piece of land that seemed to stretch out for hundreds of miles. Otto eyed it with excitement, taking in everything he possibly could. The kids scrambled hastily out of the car and quickly walked toward the main entrance, leaving Ray and Tito to carry the luggage. They were greeted immediately by a very tall New Zealand native named Rahiki. He seemed extremely busy - shuffling papers, checking off names, and shouting orders on his loud speaker - but despite all that he was able to greet the four kids, Ray, and Tito, and show them all to their cabins. He also told them that there would be a meeting in an hour that all the race participants were required to attend.  
  
"That gives me some more time to read!" said Sam excitedly. He hurried into his assigned cabin with his luggage bag.  
  
"Lame-o," muttered Twister. Reggie looked at him sternly.  
  
Otto stood next to the two and took a good look around the campsite, carefully eyeing his competition. He noticed lots of other kids there. Most seemed to be from New Zealand from the way they talked and acted, but Otto could also tell that some groups of kids were from China, France, Germany, and the US, because they each wore bright shirts that displayed their country's flag. There weren't more than six teams there - it was apparently a very exclusive competition. Only the best athletes were accepted here. But Otto was fairly confident that he could beat them all. He was going to win this competition and get that sponsorship. Raymoundo had been right, after all - Otto had spent all of June trying to earn money to help pay for this trip, and he owed it to himself to win.. He had been dreaming about getting a good sponsorship for years, handn't he?   
  
Otto quickly shook the thought out of his head and sighed. "Well guys, we should start to--"  
  
"Hey!! Hey, kids!" shouted Raymoundo. He motioned for them to come over. When Twister, Reggie, and Otto went up to him, they saw that he was grinning from ear to ear. "Kids, I want you meet Kyle Parker, my old high school buddy!" Standing next to Ray was a man with slick black hair, a muscular build, and a handsome face.   
  
"Hello," Kyle greeted the kids warmly as he smiled down at them.  
  
"Nice to meet you," the kids said politely in unison.  
  
"Kyle and I grew up together, kids!" said Ray happily. "We both lived in Los Angeles all our lives, and we best friends, sort of like you and Twister, Otto! My goodness, I can't believe you're here Kyle!" he exclaimed, turning to look at the man standing beside him. "What a coincidence, huh?"   
  
"Yeah," muttered Kyle with amazement. "I live in New Zealand now, and I entered my daughter in this competition this year." Then he looked at the kids. "Speaking of my daughter, I'd like you guys to meet her! She's thirteen and will be competing in this race too."  
  
"That's Otto's age," said Ray matter-of-factly.  
  
"Oh, good! Perfect!" then Kyle turned around and yelled, "Audrey! Come here, I'd like you to meet some friends of mine!"  
  
A very pretty girl with shoulder-length brown hair seemed to appear from nowhere out of a wooded area and jogged up to them. "What's going on, dad?" she said.  
  
"This is Ray Rocket. He's an old friend, from back when I lived in the US! These are his kids, Reggie and Otto, and their friend, Maurice."  
  
"Twister," he corrected him quietly, adjusting his hat and turning slightly pink.  
  
"Yes," said Kyle. "And Otto is your age. From what I year, he's as good an athlete as you are!"  
  
What does he mean, 'as good an athlete'? I'm way better than everyone here! thought Otto instantly. But Audrey did look really pretty, and she seemed nice enough. She actually looked like someone Otto and the group might have hung out with back in Ocean Shores - like a Trish or a Sherry, maybe.  
  
"Dad!" said Audrey, rolling her eyes. "Stop. You don't have to tell that to everyone you talk to."  
  
"I'm just proud, honey, that's all!" Kyle exclaimed as he ruffled Audrey's hair affectionately.  
  
"We'll leave you kids to talk," said Ray. "Kyle and I have our own catching up to do. Nice to meet you, Audrey. Uh, but don't talk too long, Otto, you've still got to do some last minute preparing." And with that, Ray and Kyle strolled away, leaving the four kids alone.  
  
"What sports to you play?" asked Reggie immediately.  
  
Audrey looked slightly startled at the question, but answered, "Oh, uh, everything! I always compete in races and contests and tri-athelons and stuff like that here in New Zealand. But I really like snowboarding and surfing."   
  
"Those are the things we like to do, too!" said Twister, grinning at Audrey.  
  
"Do you like skateboarding? Do you know any moves?" asked Reggie curiously.  
  
"Well, I can do all the basics," said Audrey, perking up slightly, "but there are a few more advanced things I'm working on." That got Otto's attention.  
  
"Can you show us your moves?" he asked, suddenly interested in the conversation.  
  
"Sure!" said Audrey, looking slightly surprised again but smiling at Otto nevertheless. "Come on, there's a ramp over here." Twister and Reggie followed Audrey as she began walking back, but Otto was in a daze. Her smile was so beautiful, and perfect. And he realized that she had hazel eyes - huge, round, hazel eyes that seemed to be full of determination, kindness, and life all at the same time. He had never paid that much attention to a girl before, let alone her eyes. Otto suddenly realized he was alone, and ran to catch up with the others.  
  
Audrey stooped down by a tree and rummaged through a duffle bag that was presumeably hers. She took out a skateboard with a dove painted on the back and walked over to the edge of the ramp. Actually, it was more of a dirt ditch that was sloped almost perfectly like a ramp. But it was good enough for skateboarding, Otto decided silently.   
  
"Wait a minute, aren't you gonna put on any pads?" asked Otto suddenly. Even though he thought helmets and gear were extremely lame and weighed you down, he had seen way too many episodes of 'Extreme Accidents' on ESPN to know that they were pretty much necessary.  
  
Audrey looked at him and grinned. "Why? I'm not going to fall." And with that, she went down the ramp and did a perfect, impressive triple- kickflip followed by a grind.  
  
Otto grinned as he watched her. She was so confident that she reminded him of himself - and he liked that. As she continued to do tricks, he liked her more and more. Some of the moves she was doing were hard for even him to do. But he could do them all slightly better, of course.  
  
"Too bad I don't have my video camera," said Twister, sounding disappointed. "It's back at home in California.."  
  
"You're a really great skateboarder!" exclaimed Reggie. She obviously liked Audrey too. "Maybe I could interview you for my special New Zealand issue of my 'Zine?"  
  
"Thanks!" Audrey panted as she skidded her board to a halt next to them, sending specks of dirt and dust flying everywhere. She hadn't fallen once. "But, uh, what's a 'Zine?"  
  
Just then, a horn sounded - a very loud, piercing horn. "All race participants are to report to cabin 17D at this time," yelled the man named Rahiki through a loud speaker.  
  
"Oh, I'll tell you later," said Reggie, turning to leave. She and Twister started walking toward the cabin that Rahiki had indicated. Audrey was putting her skateboard away.  
  
"You guys coming?" called Twister.  
  
"I'll be right there, Twist," said Otto, "I'll wait for Audrey."  
  
"Uh, alright," said Reggie, a bit surprised. As she and Twister began walking to the cabin, she whispered to him, "He totally likes her."  
  
"You think?" asked Twister. They both snickered.  
  
Meanwhile, Otto waited for Audrey. When she was finished putting her board away, she turned to Otto and smiled. "Thanks for waiting for me," she said somewhat awkwardly.  
  
"Oh, uh, no problem," Otto muttered casually. They started walking slowly toward cabin 17D as well, following the footprints left in the dry dirt by Twister and Reggie.  
  
"So I hear you're a great athlete," said Audrey, sounding impressed. "There was a huge newspaper article in the New Zealand Press about all the participants in the competition this year, and you were featured in it. I read you're one of the best in Ocean Shores!"  
  
"Yeah, well..." said Otto, blushing. "From what I just saw, you're pretty good yourself."  
  
"Thanks," said Audrey. Otto and she had reached the cabin. "I'm really looking forward to racing with you - it should be a close competition."  
  
"Yeah, I can't wait," said Otto, smiling at Audrey. For a brief moment he didn't care anymore whether he won the sponsorship or not. But that thought quickly disappeared just as a boy stormed out of the cabin with an angry look on his face.  
  
"There you are!" he said impatiently to Audrey. "Where were you?" Then he eyed Otto suspiciously. "Who're you?" he asked.  
  
"Otto Rocket of Ocean Shores, California," Otto said casually, eyeing the boy with slight distaste, from his chocolate colored hair, to his stony face, to his brand new expensive RE-PLAY sneakers. He expected the boy to look impressed - everybody here had surely heard of Otto Rocket before, especially since there was some sort of newspaper article about him, like Audrey had mentioned.   
  
"Rocket, you say? That name sounds familiar."  
  
Otto grinned broadly and shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, I sort of expected it to."  
  
The boy stared at Otto for a moment, and then a grin spread slowly across his face. "Ah, yes, I remember now - the loser's son," said the boy, his eyes gleaming with an unmistakable evil. "The name's Theodore McGill. Your dad grew up in California with my dad and Audrey's dad," he said with a sort of fake politeness. "And I specifically remember my dad telling me how he always beat some big loser named Ray Rocket in all the competitions that they both entered." The grin on the boy's face got even wider, making him look extremely ugly. "And with all the training I've done, it looks as if the tradition will continue."  
  
Otto looked at Theodore with surprise. It took him a moment to let what the boy had just said sink in. Otto suddenly glared at Theodore and gritted his teeth. "Well," he said calmly, determined not to react badly in front of Audrey, "if your athletic skills match how handsome your face looks, it seems as though you're going to come in last place rather than first."  
  
Audrey looked annoyed at Theodore. "Stop being so full of yourself," she snapped at him. "Otto's a great athlete, and he's here to challenge us all, including you."  
  
Theodore seemed to ignore Audrey's comment and merely glared at Otto. "Audrey here is on my team, so prepare to lose, Rocket!" And with that, he grabbed Audrey by the arm and yanked her into the cabin. Audrey just had time to mouth the word 'sorry' to Otto, before she disappeared with Theodore.  
  
What a jerk, thought Otto. He shook his head and followed them in. He had no idea if Theodore's athletic skills really were as good as he claimed them to be, but one thing was definitely for sure: It was going to be an interesting competition.  
  
***  
  
A/N: Well, you did it! You got through the first chapter. Now all that's left for you to do is give me your feedback; good or bad, I want to hear it! It helps me improve as a writer. Just no flames, please! (Or plot suggestions, for that matter, because I have chapters 1 - 18 already written.) Toodles.. ;-) 


	3. Chapter Two: First Impressions

A/N: This chapter came to be a LOT longer than I anticipated.. I just start writing and can't stop! ;-) Get ready for a small bit of Otto, some Otto and Audrey, and then a bit of Reggie and Twister! But any way you want to put it, there's a LOT of conversation goin' on. The chapter awaits you.. ((If you're obsessed with romance fics and are looking to read about some hot action between the characters, see the author's note at the end of the chapter.. ;-) ))  
  
***  
  
Getting There  
  
By Taryn  
  
Chapter 2: First Impressions  
  
***  
  
"The goal of this competition," Rahiki's voice boomed loudly, echoing off the walls of cabin 17D, "as you should all already know, is to find a new undiscovered athlete to be sponsored by RE-PLAY extreme sports."  
  
The meeting was now officially in session. Cabin 17D was rather large - large enough to accomodate the thirty or so competitors, as well as Rahiki and the parents and other adults who were there for the competition as well. Otto had taken a seat toward the back between Reggie and Sammy, careful to sit as far from Theodore as humanly possible.   
  
"As the adult supervisors for the competition," continued Rahiki, waving his hand as to indicate himself and the other adults, "it is our responsibility to inform and educate you about what is expected of you all over the next few days. Now don't get me wrong, this competition is going to be extremely fun, but there are a few issues we need to cover first and foremost. Let's start with safety. You will all be required to wear a helmet in any races which involve.."  
  
Otto was trying somewhat to listen to what Rahiki was saying, but he couldn't help averting his eyes slightly to his lower left, where Theodore sat with Audrey and a blonde haired boy he hadn't met yet. He still couldn't get over how rude Theodore had just been to him.. What a freak.. Otto made a mental note to try extra hard and make sure he beat Theodore by a longshot in every race. He had a feeling that this kid's mouth was, as Tito would say, 'writing checks that his body couldn't cash.' And what's worse, it looked as though Audrey was friends with him.   
  
What if they were more than friends? Otto suddenly thought as a stab of panic hit him abruptly in the pit of his stomach. He had met Audrey only half an hour ago and immediately knew that he liked her.. The first girl he'd ever really had the slightest bit of interest in ever since Twister's cousin Cleo had visited Ocean Shores, equipped with plenty of new athletic skills that had really attracted Otto to her.  
  
But the last person on Otto's mind at the moment was Cleo - she was only a distant figure in his past. Otto sighed with content as he fixed his gaze on Audrey, who was leaning forward onto the desk she sat at, her hand propping up her chin, and looking quite bored.   
  
Audrey is so cool, Otto thought dreamily.  
  
Suddenly Otto felt a sharp poke in between his ribs that made him jolt back into reality. He wildly whipped his head around to look at Twister, who had been the one that touched him.   
  
Twister leaned forward toward Otto and jerked his head towards the front of the room. "Rahiki's talking to you, dude!" he hissed.  
  
Otto looked quickly at the New Zealand native, who was looking questioningly at him from the front of the room. "Huh?" Otto asked loudly, and he immediately knew he sounded stupid. There was a quiet rustling sound as every head in the cabin turned to look directly at Otto.  
  
"I was merely asking you, Mr. Rocket," Rahiki said slowly, "what country you traveled from to be here with us today. Perhaps you could have answered me if you hadn't been so busy staring at Miss Parker?" he asked casually.  
  
A few people in the room snickered, and Otto could feel a tremendous amount of blood rushing to his face. He saw from the corner of his eye that Audrey's big hazel eyes had become even rounder in embarassment. She merely looked down at her hands, blushing furiously. Theodore's mouth had dropped open in what looked like a mix of surprise, anger, and satisfaction.  
  
"I, uh," Otto stuttered for a moment, avoiding eye contact with Rahiki. He didn't dare look at his father or Mr. Parker. Instead he glanced sideways at Twister, who was staring at him expectantly.   
  
"No, sir, I actually wasn't," Otto said firmly, looking up and meeting Rahiki's eyes.   
  
"Then would you care to tell us why you didn't answer my question, without wasting any more of our time?" Rahiki asked swiftly.  
  
"Yes, sir - I was just so overcome by Mr. McGill's ugliness that I couldn't tear my eyes away from his sorry-looking excuse for a face," Otto answered loudly. At that, the room burst into a fit of laughter. Twister, Reggie, and Sammy, who didn't yet know who Theodore was, merely looked confused.  
  
Otto clamped his hands over his mouth - he had said the words before he really had time to think. He looked back towards Audrey, who had stopped blushing and was looking directly at him, frowning slightly. Even from across the room, Otto could see that something had changed in her eyes.. And Theodore looked as though he'd like nothing more than to chop Otto to pieces with a machete. This time, Otto dared to look at Ray and Tito in the front of the room. Tito's usually cheerful face was so grave that it was scary, and Ray's face showed nothing but disappointment.   
  
"Well," said Rahiki after a moment, letting the kids' laughter die down, "I think we have no more to cover in this meeting. You'll find out the rest of the rules on a need-to-know basis. I was planning to tell you the activities involved in each race from here on out to help you prepare, but thanks to Mr. Rocket, you won't get that chance. Clear out, please, and enjoy the rest of the day. First race starts tomorrow."  
  
The sound of chairs being brushed against the floor as all the race participants got up from their seats filled the cabin suddenly. Otto numbly got out of his chair and proceded to the exit door of the cabin with Reggie, Twister, and Sam, unaware of all the glares he was getting from the other kids.  
  
As Otto reached the threshold of the door, Rahiki cleared his throat loudly. "Mr. Rocket, will you stay behind for a moment, please?"  
  
Otto stopped so abruptly that Twister bumped right into him. "Sorry, dude," Otto muttered distractedly as he made his way around his best friend and towards Rahiki and the rest of the adults, who had remained in the cabin as well.   
  
Twister shot a hesitant look at his best friend and reluctantly left the cabin, closing the door behind him and leaving Otto alone to face Rahiki and the small army of people who stood solidly behind him.  
  
"I dont understand.. He's not normally like this," Ray was whispering to Kyle, who was looking at Otto reproachfully. The other adults were all looking at Otto in a similar manner of distaste, and he could once again feel the color rising in his cheeks.  
  
"Mr. Rocket," Rahiki said firmly as he folded his arms across his chest. "I have to admit that I'm quite surprised at what happened just now. Are you aware of the fact that you said something completely inappropriate to Theodore McGill?"  
  
"Yes," Otto mumbled, looking at the floor. He felt like he was back in preschool.  
  
Rahiki's frown became even more pronounced. "I had read a great deal about you in the New Zealand Press, Mr. Rocket," he continued in the same harsh tone. "I was really anticipating your arrival, and anxious to see how you would perform in the competition. But I have to say I'm more than a little disappointed. I am a very firm believer of the fact that you judge a person when you meet them. I've just met you, and I am not impressed."  
  
All Otto could do was continue to look at the floor. He was such an idiot - an hour after they arrive in New Zealand, he blows his chances with all the people who matter in the competiton. There was only one thing to say. "I'm sorry," Otto mumbled. "I got carried away."  
  
"First impressions are very important, Mr. Rocket," Rahiki carried on, but his voice had gotten softer. "Mr. McGill's father is a very high ranked executive at the RE-PLAY company, and he is in this room." Otto's heartbeat quickened, but he still didn't dare look up to try and spot Mr. McGill. "Just remember this, Otto - success in life comes from more than just skills, talent, and ability. You need to have the right attitude. Without that, you'll won't get anywhere. Do you understand?"  
  
"Yes, sir," Otto said soberly, forcing himself to look up and meet Rahiki's eyes.  
  
"Good," said the native in a much more cheerful tone. "Then I am going to forget your little remark. It never happened. But just let this be a warning to you, Otto," he said, waving a finger threateningly in his direction. "No more rude comments, or we may have to rethink your placement in this competition."  
  
"Absolutely, sir," Otto said, nodding his head.   
  
"You may go."  
  
Without another word or so much as a backward glance toward any of the adults, Otto spun around and flew out the door, slamming it and leaving an echo to ring throught the walls of the cabin.  
  
***  
  
The time had flown by very quickly that day, and the sun had started to set before anybody had taken the time to give the sky a second glance. Most of the competitors were outside on the main campground, which was a circular stretch of land with a humongous stone-borderd fire burning in the center. There was apparently some sort of show going on at the moment, featuring a group of native New Zealand tribe dancers. But Otto wasn't quite sure of the details, because he had not left his cabin since earlier that day.  
  
Right after the meeting, he had walked right past Twister, who had been waiting for him, without a word. He was more in shock than anything. Idiot, idiot, idiot, he had kept telling himself, so much so that he hadn't even been aware of Twister on his heels all the way back to the cabin they would be sharing, asking him repeatedly what had happened. Otto had slammed the door to his cabin behind him and had been slowly, absentmindedly unpacking his things ever since. Eventually, after about an hour, he got tired of Twister pestering him and told him what Rahiki had said. Twister hadn't made too big of a deal about it, but that was because he made an idiot of himself like that at home all the time, after all.   
  
And now, it was about seven o'clock in the evening. Otto was unpacking his socks, one by one, into a wicker dresser in his cabin, and Twister was sitting on his bed, watching him skeptically.  
  
"Dude, when are we gonna go outside?" he asked finally, bouncing up and down slightly on Otto's bed. "We've been couped up in here for, like, four hours!"  
  
Otto didn't take his eyes off of his socks and merely shrugged. "You can go if you want, dude," he said, "But I'm staying in here. I've got unpacking to do."  
  
Through the corner of his eye Otto could see Twister staring at him like he had no idea who he was. "Dude," he said incredulously. "Listen to yourself talk! I don't think I've ever seen you stay in one place this long in your life!"  
  
"I can't go out there!" Otto said finally, whipping the sock he was putting away across the room so that it hit the door with a soft thud. "There's no way I can face Raymoundo, or Audrey, or her dad, or even Theodore! Dude, did you know his dad was in that cabin?! He could really let me have it-"  
  
Twister sighed. "It's not that big of a deal, Ottoman."  
  
"You're just saying that because you weren't the one who called Theodore ugly in front of the whole camp!" Otto shouted.  
  
"I don't even know the guy - and how do you know him?"  
  
"We met outside, when me and Audrey were heading to the cabin," Otto muttered miserably, going back to unpacking socks. "He was a jerk, and I was pissed at him, so.."  
  
"Oh, man," Twister muttered, grinning slightly.   
  
"What?" Otto demanded, looking up at his best friend.  
  
Twister shrugged. "I dunno. I just think this whole thing is kinda funny. I mean, if you really think about it, how you just got here and already the whole camp hates you.."  
  
"Oh, gee," said Otto loudly, completely abandoning his folding and turning to face Twister. "You really made me feel better, dude!"  
  
"Come on!" said Twister encouragingly, rising from the bed he was sitting on and beckoning for Otto to get up as well. "Let's go out there and see what's going on. Force yourself, dude! You'll get a chance to talk to Audrey," he added hopefully, noticing that Otto was about to protest. "And maybe tell her you're sorry..?"  
  
Otto's forehead scrunched up in confusion, although he wasn't really confused at all. "What makes you think I want to talk to Audrey?" he asked rather nervously, thinking that maybe Twister knew something.  
  
But he merely shrugged and grinned. "Uh, well, you were staring at her at the meeting, you know that, right?" And with that, Twister walked over to the cabin door, opened it, and strolled out, not even turning back to wait to for Otto to follow him. But Otto did.  
  
Otto wasn't sure whether to thank or smack Twister for getting him outside. On the brighter side, the campsite was absolutely amazing. Otto had had no idea that so much was going on. There were about fifty dancers dressed in hula-type skirts and covered in face paint. Some were dancing around the huge campfire in the center, accompanied by a cheering crowd, and others were walking around and chanting loudly. Otto noticed that Sammy had taken a great interest in the dancing natives and had soon joined in, much to his amusement. It looked like a really happy and carefree environment.  
  
On the other hand, Otto saw out of the corner of his eye that many of the adults from earlier that day were eyeing him cautiously, including Rahiki and Tito. He did not even look in Raymoundo's direction. Instead, he surveyed the rest of the campsite. Audrey and Theodore were not there, but the blonde-haired boy they had sat with earlier in the meeting was lounging near the fire.  
  
"Oh, hey, there's Reggie!" Twister exclaimed rather happily, indicating Otto's older sister, who was sitting very close to the fire and toasting a marshmallow. "I'm gonna go say hi, alright?"  
  
Otto merely nodded, still looking around the camp hesitantly as Twister walked away. Now with him nor Audrey around to say anything to, Otto was about to head back to his cabin. But just as he turned to leave, he noticed something - a very narrow stone path located to the side of the main campground, bordered by thick bushes and many trees. It was the perfect place to take a stroll and clear his thoughts, Otto decided. So as quickly and quietly as he could, he weaved around a large crowd and began to stoll casually down the path.  
  
As a breeze came out of seemingly nowhere and gently brushed across Otto's face, he thought that for the first time that week he actually felt relaxed. He still could not stop thinking about how he had been such an idiot earlier that day in the meeting, though. He got a horrible feeling of embarassment in the pit of his stomach every time he thought about it. But then his thoughts changed suddenly to Audrey. Otto was still surprised at himself for liking her so much - he was just mysteriously drawn to her. However, he musn't dwell on her for too long, at least for the next few days, Otto thought firmly to himself. He couldn't let anything, or anybody, distract his concentration for the upcoming races. Even if it was something as beautiful as Audrey.  
  
Otto couldn't help but feel slightly bad for Audrey. When Rahiki had announced that Otto had been staring at her, it had been embarassing for her as well. And Otto remembered suddenly that she had looked slightly affronted when he'd insulted Theodore. She sure got a great impression of me, Otto thought miserably as he continued to walk on the path. She must think I'm a real jerk, being so rude in front of everyone..  
  
Otto had to admit to himself that he had absolutely no idea as to what to do about Audrey. He obviously had a crush on her, no matter how hard a part of him would try to deny it.. So what now? Should he make the first move, even though she might be slightly mad at him? Or was it too late - did she already think so little of him that she'd never give him a chance? Or worse - did she already have a boyfriend? And even worse than that - was it Theodore? But then again, Audrey had seemed like she was rather serious when it came to sports.. Maybe she didn't have time for a boyfriend, and just wanted to concentrate on doing well in the competition. Otto didn't have the slightest idea.  
  
As he walked deeper and deeper into the wooded area that the path led him to, he could see through the tops of the trees that the sun was starting to go down. He was just about to turn back, when he noticed something toward the end of the path. It was something very, very large.. Large and white.. Otto squinted his eyes and took a few steps forward. It was a moment before he realized that it was a gigantic ice skating rink.  
  
Otto's mouth dropped as he now walked in large steps toward the skating rink that lay before him. It was surrounded by trees and a few sets of old bleachers, and it looked as though the rink itself was only accessible through the path that Otto was on, unless somebody wanted to walk through the forest and get cut up. It was the perfect secret spot. Rahiki had never mentioned it at the meeting.. Otto wondered why he didn't tell the campers about a secluded area that was part of the campground - but then again maybe he would have, if it hadn't been for Otto's big mouth..   
  
Otto eyed the rink more closely, and it took a moment for him to realize that there was somebody else there - somebody else who was ice skating. Otto, now alarmed, leapt behind the nearest tree and peered cautiously again at the person, trying to get a closer look. He narrowed his eyes to get a good image of the face of the person who was gliding so gracefully and naturally on the ice; Slim.. Chestnut brown hair.. Distinguishably hazel eyes.. It was Audrey.  
  
Otto's heartbeat had quickened now as he whipped his head back behind the tree. Maybe it's a sign, he thought with a groan. Maybe I should go over and talk to her. But Otto did not want to talk to Audrey right now - quite frankly, the thought terrified him. What if she was mad at him? After a minute Otto decided that he would stay a little longer and watch Audrey skate, but he wouldn't go and talk to her. He'd just leave quietly..  
  
Otto craned his head from behind the tree once more to get a view of Audrey. She was gliding on the ice and had one leg slightly raised, as though preparing to do something. Suddenly, she flew into the air and turned three times, and before Otto could blink she was back on the ground in a graceful landing. He didn't know much about ice skating, but he knew enough to realize that Audrey was good at it. Otto remembered briefly that Twister's cousin, Cleo, had liked to ice skate as well. He also remembered that her routines were incredibly lame - with frilly tutu costumes and moves that even Sammy could do. But when Audrey skated, she made it look.. cool.   
  
Otto decided it was time to leave. He wanted to get home before the sun set - the last thing he needed was to draw more attention to himself by getting home late and breaking some sorf of curfew. Otto turned to leave so abruptly that his foot had gotten entangled in a huge tree root and he fell flat on the earth - hard. Before he even realized what had happened, his face had slammed against the dry dirt ground. And then - Otto had no idea how she had gotten there so quickly - he could feel Audrey's hands on his back, pulling him up slowly.  
  
"Otto - Otto! Are you alright? Look at me for a minute!" she kept insisting over and over, but in a calm sort of way. The next thing Otto knew, Audrey had knelt down beside him and pulled his head upwards so that it was only inches from hers. Otto saw her hazel eyes surveying his face.  
  
"Audrey, what's wrong?" Otto asked after a moment, his face still firmly in her hands.  
  
"Your nose is bleeding," she said quietly as she removed her hands. "It looked like you fell pretty bad just now, huh?"  
  
Otto's hands immediately went to his face and groped his nose. When he looked at his fingers, they were covered in blood.   
  
"Otto?" Audrey asked gently. "Are you okay?"  
  
With a sudden stab of panic, Otto realized that he had taken one of the most embarassing falls of his life right in front of Audrey. And what's worse - she'd caught him spying on her..  
  
"Uh.." he muttered getting up slowly from the ground, ignoring the throbbing pain coming from his nose. He avoiding her eyes. "I think so."  
  
Audrey got up as well, brushing the dirt off of her jeans. She stared at Otto for a moment. "Let me go get some paper towels or something," she said finally. And before Otto could protest, she had walked rather awkwardly, her ice skates still on, to a duffle bag she had set on the bleachers, returning moments later with a few napkins which she pressed firmly onto Otto's nose. It hurt like crazy, but of course Otto didn't even flinch.  
  
"It's not broken," Audrey muttered, tilting her head to look at his nose. Then she looked at him. "Does it hurt?"  
  
"No," Otto lied quickly.   
  
Audrey smiled softly up at him. He was a bit taller than she was. "How about we head back to camp then?" she asked gently. "Here, hold these to your nose," she said, indicating the paper napkins.  
  
Otto gratefully pressed the napkins to his nose and felt as they soaked up the blood that was now oozing grossly from it. He stood motionless as he watched Audrey hobble back over to the bleachers in her ice skates, sit down, change into gym shoes, and pack the rest of her things into her large duffle bag. She made her way back over to him, the large duffle bag swung over her shoulder.  
  
"Let's go," she said quietly when she was within five feet of Otto. Together they made their way back to camp - Otto holding the now-soaked napkins up to his nose, and Audrey staring at the ground silently. Finally, Otto figured he should say something to her.  
  
"Audrey?"  
  
"Hm?"  
  
Otto hesitated. He wasn't really sure what to say to her without sounding awkward or stupid. "Er.. I just wanted to tell you that I'm, uh, sorry. About what happened earlier at the meeting.. I just don't want you to get the wrong impression of me or anything.."  
  
"Well that's kind of hard to do," she said rather loudly, looking over toward Otto with dangerous eyes. "Seeing as how you managed to embarass me and Theodore in front of a whole room of people, ruin your reputation at the camp, spy on me ice skating, and get a bloodly nose all in the first twenty-four hours that you're here. What exactly am I supposed to think of you, Otto?" she demanded. Although she spoke the words, Audrey was surprised to find that she wasn't really angry with Otto at all. Ever since she had seen him.. She had just had some mysterious attraction to him despite all the imperfections that he's shown that day, and it was driving her crazy.  
  
Otto froze. This was exactly what he had been dreading. He didn't know why he had listened to Twister in the first place.. Why had he ever left his cabin? It just made things so much worse. "Audrey..," he stuttered for a moment, trying to find something to say. "I'm sorry.."  
  
"No, don't apologize," Audrey mumbled quickly, looking back down at the ground. "I just got carried away. Look, Otto," she said as she reshifted the weight of the duffle bag on her shoulder, "the only reason I said that just now is because, well, I guess I was just a little disappointed."  
  
"Disappointed?" Otto looked sideways at Audrey, confused.  
  
Audrey shrugged. "It's just that, well, I only met you a few hours ago, and at first we seemed to get along great. We were into the same sports, we were both cool with each other.. But then you meet Theodore." She said the boy's name like it was some sort of deadly disease. "I was hoping that he would just brush you off, but he didn't."  
  
"Is he your boyfriend?" Otto blurted out suddenly, but he instantly regretted his outburst for the second time that day. What on earth was wrong with his mouth?  
  
But Audrey didn't look affronted at all. "No," she said simply. "But the problem is, he thinks he is. We've been friends for as long as I can remember, and lately he's been interested in, er, well, getting closer. And I'm not interested in him," she said flatly. "I never will be."  
  
That was such an immense relief to Otto that he nearly felt like dancing.  
  
"But anyway," Audrey continued, seeming a bit eager to change the subject, "I know that Theodore just had to be a jerk when he met you, automatically assuming all kinds of crazy things, and I know he insulted you first. And that's one of the things I really hate about him - how he can be so unbelieveably inconsiderate toward other people. But I was just so disappointed that you, well, had to stoop to his level and insult him back, and in front of a big group of people, of all things.."  
  
Otto suddenly understood now. Audrey didn't want him to act like Theodore because she didn't like Theodore.. The thought relieved Otto even more.  
  
"And plus," Audrey muttered, rather shyly, "I had liked it better when Rahiki accused you of staring at me." Audrey couldn't believe she had just said that. She found herself amazed at her own courage. She glanced sideways at Otto.  
  
Otto's face showed extreme surprise, but then he quickly composed himself. There were about a million hopeful thoughts zooming around in his mind at the moment. He didn't know what to say next to this girl he barely knew.. "Oh.. So, uh, you like ice skating, huh? I saw you back there - you're really awesome at it!"  
  
"Thanks!" Audrey said quickly. She was somewhat relieved that Otto changed the subject. "I've been doing it for about ten years, and it's sort of like a secondary extreme sport to me."  
  
"That's cool. Do you ever play ice hockey? I'd bet you'd be good at it.."  
  
"Yeah, I do. I'm on a team with Theodore and Jason."  
  
"Who's Jason?"  
  
"Oh, uh, nevermind.."  
  
There was a brief moment of silence that passed as Otto wondered if Jason was the blonde-haired boy Audrey and Theodore had been with earlier. He wondered how Audrey knew him..   
  
"Do you like surfing?" Audrey asked suddenly, with a hint of curiosity in her voice.  
  
"Oh - uh - yeah!" Otto exclaimed after a minute. "That's practically all I do back in Ocean Shores! We live right by the beach."  
  
"Awesome..," muttered Audrey, and she seemed as though she wanted to ask Otto something. After another brief moment of silence, she did. "So, then, maybe, I mean, if you don't have race warm-ups to do or anything, um, there's this really awesome surf spot near here. It's got the best waves you're ever gonna see in New Zealand.. Would you want to hang out there some time before the competition ends?" she finished the question looking somewhat flustered.  
  
"Sure!" Otto said casually, but inside his heart was racing. Had Audrey just asked him out? No, he decided, she was just offering to show him a surf spot. And girls don't ask guys out anyway..  
  
They continued to walk down the worn stone path, but with slightly more difficulty as it was getting darker. The sun had seemed to set rather abruptly, leaving the forest blanketed in a gentle darkness. The campsite was now visible from where they were walking, and the distant chanting of the New Zealand natives could be heard from that direction.  
  
Otto stopped and turned to Audrey just before the path ended. "Look," he said to her, finally removing the blood-drenched napkins from his nose, which had stopped running. "I'm really glad you're not mad at me or anything, Audrey.."  
  
"Oh, whoever said I wasn't mad?" Audrey asked, but with a hint of playfulness to her voice. "You messed up, Otto, and you're going to need to make it up to me if you want to be able to hang around with Audrey Parker at will," she said, her voice now full of sarcasam.   
  
"Oh yeah?" Otto said, playing along. "What do I need to do?"  
  
Audrey smiled up at him. "You need to try hard in these upcoming races. I don't want to beat you because your concentration is thrown off; I want to beat you when you're fully into it, fair and square."  
  
"Is that so?" Otto asked, smiling too. "We'll see, Audrey.."  
  
"Kids - kids! Is that you?" came the extremely panicked voice of Raymoundo. Otto looked up with great displeasure as he saw his father jogging up to them from across the main campground. He stopped next to them and bent over with his hands on his knees, panting. When he finally recovered he rounded on Otto. "Where were you?" he demanded. "First I go looking for you and find that you're not in your cabin, then Twister tells me he left you at the main campground, and an hour passes by and you're nowhere to be found! What on earth is wrong with you-"  
  
"He was with me, Mr. Rocket," Audrey interrupted quickly, looking innocently up at Otto's father. "I, er, wanted to show him.. something," she finished rather lamely.  
  
Raymoundo didn't look convinced at all. Instead, he merely looked skeptically at Otto, then at Audrey, and back and forth for a moment. Finally he threw his hands up in the air. "Fine," he said. "But the next time you kids want to disappear like that, let me know. And you," he muttered, indicating Otto and speaking so softly that only his son could hear, "are in big trouble, mister. We need to talk about what happened earlier today, as soon as Audrey goes to bed. I am going to make you regret every rude word that came out of your mouth." With that, Ray Rocket spun around and walked away.  
  
Otto sighed and just looked at Audrey. "Let's go then, shall we?"  
  
Audrey just nodded.  
  
Meanwhile, not far from Otto and Audrey on the main campground, were Twister and Reggie. An hour had passed since Twister had left Otto to sit with Reggie, and the two had been enjoying the night just fine.  
  
Twister had actually been aching to spend some time along with Otto's older sister ever since last December.. He remembered that up until Christmas he had thought of Reggie as nothing more than a friend, a buddy, just one of the guys.. But that had all changed on December 25th. That day was still crystal clear in his memory.. It was snowing furiously, and he, Otto, Reggie, Sammy, and Raymoundo were all at the Rocket house late that afternoon to exchange gifts, after opening presents with their families. Twister was trudging through the snow toward Otto's house and carrying some gifts with great difficulty. When he rang the doorbell, Reggie had opened it, with her hair curled elegantly, a light touch of makeup on her face, and a short skirt that Twister had never seen her in before.  
  
"Hey, Twist," she had said casually when she opened the door.  
  
"Hi, Reggie," Twister had said as usual. He was just about to go inside the house, but his head brushed into a long mistletoe plant that was hanging in the doorway. He'd thought Raymoundo had put it there as a joke, but what he never knew was that Reggie had put it there in hope of getting a chance to kiss Sammy, whom she currently had a crush on.  
  
Reggie noticed the mistletoe as well. She blushed when she realized the situation she had just but both of them in. But nevertheless, before she could stop herself, she had bent down slightly and given Twister a light peck on the lips.   
  
"Well, come on," she'd said rather quickly, beckoning him inside. "We've got gifts to open.."  
  
And ever since then Twister had seen Reggie in a whole new light. Looking at her now, sitting so close to him and lazily toasting a marshmallow by the fire, Twister remembered that day. It still sent chills up his spine - good chills.   
  
Reggie's marshmallow suddenly turned dark black, shriveled up, and fell off her stick and into the large campfire. "Oh crap," she muttered, leaning forward toward the fire to get one last look at her doomed marshmallow.  
  
"Her, Reg, you can have mine," Twister said quickly, extending his own perfectly-toasted marshmallow on a stick to her.  
  
"Are you sure, Twister?" she asked, somewhat startled. Twister never was a very generous person.  
  
"Yeah, no problem," he said casually.  
  
Reggie plucked the marshmallow off the stick. "Thanks," she said with a grin. "I owe you one."  
  
Twister saw out of the corner of his eye that Sammy was playing a card game with Tito. The Squid kept looking jealously over at Reggie and him, and it made Twister smile with a satisfied pleasure. He looked around some more, and noticed Otto and Audrey off to the side of the campground, near some bushes and a stone path. He tried to get Otto's attention by waving him down, and watched as his best friend and Audrey made their way toward him.  
  
"Hey dude," Otto muttered when he was closer to Twister. He eyed him and Reggie for a moment. "What've you two been up to?"  
  
"Just toasting marshmallows," Reggie said casually, looking up at her brother from where she was sitting.  
  
"Where have you been, Ottoman?" Twister asked curiously. "Raymoundo came over here earlier all freaked out and asking if I knew where you were."  
  
"Me and Otto were just walking around," Audrey answered for him casually.  
  
"Oh, cool," Twister said, although from his tone Otto could tell that he thought something else was going on.  
  
Audrey stifled a large yawn and streched her arms out behind her back, glancing at her watch. "Well, you guys, it's getting sort of late, and I really should hit the sack. Big day tomorrow - the first race!"  
  
"Yeah!" exclaimed Reggie, perking up slightly. "I can't wait!" She turned to look up at Audrey. "Did you know that we have the same cabin?" she asked happily. "I saw it on the camp schedule!"  
  
"Awesome!" Audrey said enthusiastically. "Well I'll see you guys in the morning, okay?" she said, referring to Otto and Twister.  
  
"G'nite, Audrey," Twister said.  
  
"Yeah, good night," Otto muttered to her, looking into her hazel eyes. "Sleep well." She just smiled at him for a moment, and then walked off.  
  
"You gonna join us, then, Ottoman?" Twister asked hesitantly.   
  
"Naw," Otto said, waving a hand. "I ought to get to bed too. I'll need a lot of rest for tomorrow.."   
  
"Okay," said Twister rather quickly. "See you later tonight, then."  
  
As Otto walked back to his cabin for the first time that night, he noticed that Twister didn't seem too disappointed that nobody else could join them. He wondered briefly if Twister had a serious crush on his sister. No, he decided, My own best friend would have told me something like that.  
  
Otto was about to open the door to his cabin when, to his great surprise, a dark figure appeared in front of him. He didn't know quite what to do.. It was kind of hard to see who the figure was, because it was almost 10:30 at night. But as he looked closer, he noticed the chocolate-brown hair on the person's head that could only belong to Theodore.  
  
"We need to talk, Rocket," said the boy coldly. He went over to a tiki torch that was stuck into the ground nearby and lit it.  
  
For a moment Otto considered just walking in to his cabin and slamming the door in Theodore's face, but he was somewhat curious as to what he had to say. "I don't want to talk to you," Otto said automatically, trying to avoid a conflict. The last thing he needed was for Theodore to go and tell Audrey something.. Otto decided he should just go, and started walking to his door, but Theodore cut him short.  
  
"I saw you walking with Audrey today," he said. "And I heard everything you said to her. You've got her feeling sorry for you and everything! What are you trying to pull?" he demanded angrily.  
  
Otto's eyes narrowed. "You were spying on us?"  
  
"If that's what you Americans call it," said Theodore, folding his arms.  
  
"You're not making any sense," said Otto, getting annoyed. "If you heard enough of what we said then you should know that Audrey doesn't like you! So just back off."  
  
"No, why don't you back off?" said Theodore loudly, taking a step toward Otto.  
  
"You can't make me," said Otto, rather indignantly.  
  
"You'd be surprised what I can do," Theodore whispered evilly.  
  
Otto hesitated. "Is that a threat?" he asked quietly, glaring at him through the dark.  
  
"May be," said Theodore coolly. "See you at tomorrow's race, Rocket." And with that, he strolled in the opposite direction, toward his own cabin.  
  
"Loser," Otto muttered to himself. He walked into his cabin and slammed the door. Theodore was obviously jealous. But Otto couldn't help but think about what he had said: You'd be surprised what I can do. What on earth was that supposed to mean? Theodore wasn't worth a second thought - Otto knew that much. However, he couldn't help but dwell on his words. Well, so much for beauty sleep, Otto thought with a frustrated sigh as he flipped on the light to his cabin.  
  
It was going to be a long night.  
  
***  
  
Note: There's a big story to tell here.. I hope you're up for a lot of reading! Oh, and for all you people who are waiting to see some lovin' between Reggie and Twister or Reggie and Sammy or even Otto and Audrey (although I doubt you've gotten very attached to Audrey thus far), be patient. Good things will come to those who wait.. XD Please review as usual - thanks! 


	4. Chapter Three: Midnight Conversations, N...

Author's Note: Alrighty! Here is the third chapter.. Once more, there is a ton of conversation going on, and tons more talk about Twister and Reggie, however this chapter is much shorter than the others so far. FYI: There is going to be a 'Midnight Conversations' chapter for each night of the competition, so expect four more in the near future! Enjoy..  
  
***  
  
Getting There  
  
By Taryn  
  
Chapter 3: Midnight Conversations, Night One  
  
***  
  
The sun had officially set in New Zealand, leaving everywhere, including the competition grounds, covered in a calm blanket of darkness. The huge campfire had almost died down, and most of the kids had gone back to their cabins in hope of getting as much sleep as they could to prepare for the first race tomorrow. It was about 11:30 pm at that time.   
  
Reggie and Twister were still sitting by what was left of the fire, leaning back and looking at the stars. After toasting and eating four bags of jumbo marshmallows, they were extremely full and very tired. Ray and Tito were talking quietly on the other end of the campground. Other than that, the place was gloomy and deserted.  
  
"Oooooohhhhh, I don't feel so good," said Twister, groaning and arching his back against the ground. "I had more marshmallows than my stomach can handle!"  
  
"Me too," muttered Reggie, with a queasy look on her face. "And we have the first race tomorrow! Let's hope our stomachs settle down by then."  
  
"Yeah," Twister mumbled as he rubbed his belly, which was considerably rounder than earlier today. He was going to start to look like Sammy soon..  
  
"But it was worth it," said Reggie quickly. "Tonight was really fun." She gave Twister a relaxed smile that somehow made him extremely nervous.  
  
Twister hesitated, then said, "Hey, Reg, there's something I've been wanting to ask you for awhile.." He could feel his heartbeat quicken as he said the words, and his voice sounded extremely strange to him.  
  
"Sure Twist, anything," said Reggie, turning to face him. "What is it?"  
  
Twister gulped. He couldn't believe he was finally going to do this.. Maybe it was too soon.. She probably still liked Sammy way more than she would ever like him. But they were alone, with no distractions, and no Otto.. It was now or never. Twister took a deep breath and spoke. "Will you.."  
  
"Kids!!!" shouted Ray frantically from across the campgrounds. Twister watched with great disappointment as Raymoundo jogged up to he and Reggie.   
  
"Reggie? Twister? You guys need to get some sleep!" Ray exclaimed with a hint of panic as he walked up to them, followed by a very sleepy looking Tito. "I totally lost track of time," he muttered, glancing down at his digital watch. "We all need to get to bed now if we want to wake up at 6 am tomorrow!"  
  
Reggie's mouth dropped. "Six, dad?" she asked incredulously, staring up at her father like he was crazy. "Are you out of your mind?!" she demanded.  
  
Ray just shrugged. "If you guys want to do well in this competition you'll be willing to step out of your comfort zone," he said stubbornly. "And plus, Otto is gonna need to spend a lot of time warming up."  
  
"Why drag us into your obsession with Otto.." Reggie muttered angrily under her breath as she slowly got to her feet.  
  
Tito noticed Reggie and merely nodded. "Raymoundo is right, little cuzzes, you need to be well rested for tomorrow's race. You'll thank him when Team Rocket wins first place tomorrow!" he added enthusiastically, but neither of the teenagers seemed to notice.  
  
"Alright, already," Reggie grumbled. "Oh, I almost forgot - Twister, you were about to ask me something..?" she said suddenly. The three of them turned to look at Twister.  
  
"Uh...." said he said with a distant trace of panic to his voice. There was no way he was going to ask Reggie to be his girlfriend in front of her father.. That had bad news written all over it. He didn't want Raymoundo and Tito there. It would have to wait.  
  
"Never mind.." Twister said quietly, getting up from the ground as well.  
  
"Alright then, let's get to bed!" said Raymoundo urgently, as he nudged Twister toward his cabin.  
  
Reggie shrugged. "'Night, guys," she sleepily, and began to stroll lazily in the same direction Audrey had left in.  
  
Twister watched Reggie go, and reluctantly walked into the woods and followed a path to the cabin he shared with Otto. Once he arrived, he slammed the door behind him in frustration.  
  
"Dude! You're gonna wake everybody here if you slam the door that loud!" whispered Otto, poking his head out from under the covers on his bed.  
  
"Sorry," muttered Twister, walking over to his own bed and falling carlessly onto it.  
  
"Anyway," said Otto, ignoring Twister's depressed mood, "I wanna talk you. You wouldn't believe the things that happened to me today.."  
  
Twister sighed. "You mean there's more? After you blab something about Theodore and have everybody laugh at you, you're telling me there's more?!" he said with disbelief as he climbed into his bed and pulled the covers over his head.  
  
Otto ignored Twister's remark. "Well, I saw this path right after today's meeting...." Otto began. He told Twister about how he took a walk and discovered the ice rink, and saw Audrey again by coincidence. Then he told him about their little conversation and about how Audrey had been slightly mad at him - omitting the part about his falling and getting a bloody nose - and lastly, about how Theodore confronted him an hour ago, and left him really confused and slightly nervous. Twister listened to what Otto had to say, but couldn't help thinking about Reggie the whole time. Would he ever get the chance to tell her that he loved her? Well, maybe love was a bit of a strong word.. It was more like-  
  
"Twist!" said Otto impatiently, his voice cutting suddenly into Twister's thoughts. "Don't fall asleep on me, dude! So what do think?"  
  
"About what?" asked Twister distractedly. "So you found an awesome rink, got to know Audrey better, and survived an argument with Theodore. Sounds like you had a pretty good day, if you ask me."  
  
Otto rolled his eyes in the dark. "What do think Theodore meant when he told me that I'd be surprised what he can do?"  
  
Twister could tell that Otto was actually worried about it. "Dude! Forget about it! You're blowing things way out of proportion!" he insisted casually.  
  
"That's what you said earlier about getting out of the cabin for awhile, and it turned out that Audrey was pissed at me, and Raymoundo yelled at me for disappearing for so long," Otto muttered acidly.  
  
Twister sighed. "Just listen to me, alright? He's probably just trying to make cheap threats to throw off your concentration for the races. I bet he'd do anything to make you look bad and increase his odds with his precious Audrey. He probably figured that you already made a fool of yourself earlier, now all he needs to do is have you embarass yourself a little more."  
  
"Hello?! Duh! Listen to what you just said! If he would do anything to make me look bad, and I bet he would, then I do have something to worry about.."  
  
"Uh... What I meant to say was...," Twister stuttered for a moment, "Just don't worry about it! Theodore's jealous, that's all. You know Audrey's into you, you're the best athlete here, and Raymoundo'll be on your tail, watching you and making sure his precious son wins first place, for all of tomorrow! Dude, you can't possibly lose! He'll have no opportunity to ambush you or anything."  
  
Otto sighed. "I guess you're right." Then he paused for a moment. Twister was never right.. Theodore was definitely planning something.  
  
After a bit of silence, Twister decided to change the subject. "You like Audrey, don't you?" he asked as a smirk spread over his face in the dark.  
  
Otto sat up abruptly in his bed and looked at Twister through the dark. His mind was racing - should he tell Twister? He could trust his best friend. "Is it that obvious?" he asked tentatively. If someone like Twister could tell that he liked her, that means it must be incredibly obvious to everybody else, too.  
  
"No," said Twister quickly, "I just wanted to see how you'd react to me asking you. Aside from that whole staring-at-her-in-the-meeting thing, I just noticed that you hung out with her for awhile tonight instead of me, which is unusual. So I take it you do like her?"  
  
"Yeah, I guess I do," Otto muttered reluctantly, lying back down on his bed. But then another thought came to him. "Hey Twist," he said suddenly, with a hint of annoyance to his voice, "the reason I hung out with Audrey tonight was because you ditched me for Reggie! What was up with that?!"  
  
Twister froze in the dark, thinking fast. He'd wanted to hang out with Reggie - big deal, right? "I, uh..," he began. "Well, I just wanted to say hi to her! You could have followed me if you wanted to!"  
  
"Yeah, right," Otto muttered dryly. "Do you have a thing for Reggie?" he asked without hesitation.  
  
Twister gulped. "Uh.. What's that supposed to mean?" he demanded after a moment, getting flustered. He was silently thankful that the lights weren't on.  
  
"I mean," Otto said, propping himself up on his pillow with one arm, "do you like Reggie as someone more than a friend? You know I'd totally kill you if you did," he added, and Twister honestly had no idea if he was joking or not.  
  
"No!" Twister lied immediately, laughing nervously. "Why would you say I have 'a thing' for Reggie?"  
  
Otto lay back down on his bed and shrugged, seeming a bit relieved. "I dunno. Ever since Christmas you've been all anxious to be 'alone with Reggie', or 'help Reggie', or 'want to ask Reggie something'. It just seems a little weird to me, that's all. What the hell happened on Christmas, dude?" he asked jokingly.  
  
Twister's heart pounded in his chest. "Nothing!" he exclaimed with a nervous laugh. "You know me," he said casually. "I'm just being friendly.. But is there any other reason you'd ask?" he said somewhat anxiously. "Reg doesn't like me or anything, does she?"  
  
Otto burst out laughing. "You're kidding, right?!" he asked incredulously. He buried his face in his pillow and Twister heard muffled laughing for what seemed like an eternity, and as each second passed by he began to get angrier and angrier. "Oh, man.." Otto said finally, taking his face off of his bed and wiping tears from his eyes. He chuckled some more. "That was a good one, dude.." he muttered.   
  
When Twister did not say anything but just merely turned around in his bed so that his back was facing Otto, he wondered for a moment if Twister had been serious.  
  
"Come on, dude," he said with disbelief. "We both know that Reg likes Sammy. The whole town probably knows it by now! And you know Reg - she's not the kind of girl who gets crushes too easily.. Just having a crush on Sammy is huge for her!"  
  
Twister merely nodded, his back still facing Otto. But he considered what his best friend had just said.. Reggie wasn't really the type of girl who was boy crazy. What if she never saw him as more than the goofball next door?  
  
"And plus," Otto said, "It's not like Reg tells me who she likes. I wouldn't even have known that she liked Sammy if it hadn't been for that dream she'd had last year.. 'Oh, Sammy, you're so funny!'" Otto said in a shirll voice, mimicking Reggie. "'Sammy, you're so handsome! Will you be my boyfriend?' She was saying that crap so loudly in her sleep that the Stimpletons might have heard it."  
  
Twister scowled to himself at Otto's imitation of Reggie. But he decided to let it go. "When're you going to tell Audrey you like her?" he asked, trying to change the subject once more.  
  
"Dude, I met her today. If I tell her I like her, I bet it'll totally freak her out! We hardly know each other."  
  
"I don't think it would freak her out," said Twister, and he meant it. "I bet she likes you too.Why else would she still talk to you after what you did at the meeting?"  
  
"Stop bringing that up," Otto snapped. "But why would Audrey like me?" he asked doubtfully. "She's pretty and nice and athletic and-"  
  
"Dude, you're a star athlete," Twister said flatly. "That should be enough."  
  
"I wish," said Otto, more to himself then to Twister. Then he thought of something. "Hey! Reggie and Audrey are sharing a cabin! Maybe right now they're talking about how us! Or Audrey about me, rather.. I'll talk to Reg later and ask her all about it."  
  
Twister merely nodded. "Well, we should get to sleep," he muttered, unable to believe that those words were coming out of his mouth. He just no longer felt like staying up and listening to Otto talk about his own silly problems and how Reggie liking him was the funniest thought in the world.  
  
"Yeah, I guess you're right. It'll be a miracle if we both have the energy to wake up at six tomorrow, after staying up taking like this. 'Night, bro," said Otto sleepily.  
  
"'Night, Ottoman," said Twister. He turned over in his inflatable air bed and though about what Otto said. Maybe they really are talking about us right now. Or only Otto, at the very least. . .  
  
***  
  
Reggie slowly walked toward her cabin in the pitch blackness of the night, thinking about all that had happened to her that day. In the past twenty-four hours, she had arrived at New Zealand, met and made friends with Audrey, and finally believed something that she had refused to for years. It was all too much for her to handle!  
  
Reggie quietly opened the door to the cabin and peered in. Audrey, who was conveniently her assigned cabin-mate, appeared to be asleep in her bed. Reggie gently closed the door behind her with a soft click, and sank gratefully into the comfort of her air matress.  
  
"Reg, is that you?" asked Audrey sleepily. She turned around slowly in her bed so that she was facing Reggie.  
  
"Yeah," said Reggie, surprised. "I didn't think you'd still be up. I'm sorry if I woke you!"  
  
"Oh no, you didn't," Audrey said quickly, now sitting up on her bed. "I couldn't fall asleep. I keep thinking about Otto and Theodore!"  
  
"Theodore..," Reggie muttered. The name sounded strangely familiar to her. "Oh, right! He's the one you sat with in the meeting, right? The one Otto made fun of.. Oh," she said suddenly as the realization dawned on her. "I guess you think Otto's a real jerk, huh?" Reggie muttered, instantly becoming ashamed of her brother. "But wait, then why were you two walking around together tonight?"  
  
Audrey just grinned. "Well, to answer your first question," she said as she shifted her wait on her bed, "Yes, Theodore's the one I sat with at the meeting. And I have to admit I was pretty mad at Otto for what he did.. But I can't really blame him. He and Theodore got off to a real rocky start when I introduced them."  
  
Reggie furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "How so?"  
  
Audrey sighed. "You remember how your dad said that he and my dad used to hang out together as kids?" Reggie nodded, and Audrey went on, "Well, Theodore's dad was there too. And apparently, from what Theodore's told me before and what he told Otto today, the first generation McGill and Rocket didn't get along too well. I guess Theodore just thought that since Otto was a Rocket, he might as well be mean to him like his dad was mean to your dad. You follow?"  
  
Reggie nodded slowly. "Yeah..," she muttered. "What a jerk!"  
  
"That's what Otto thought too," Audrey mumbled as she tugged at a loose thread on one of her blankets. "And I guess that's what triggered the insult in front of everyone at the meeting."  
  
"Oh," Reggie said slowly, suddenly ashamed at herself for thinking that Otto was the jerk for all of today. "So for once, Otto wasn't wrong to open his big mouth."  
  
Audrey grinned. "Otto's got a big mouth, does he?"  
  
"Like you wouldn't believe."  
  
"And to answer your second question," Audrey continued, "I don't think Otto's a jerk anymore.. We met up on sort of accidentally in the evening. Otto fell and got a bloodly nose - I felt so sorry for him.." Audrey told Reggie exactly what had happened that night between her and Otto - or at least everything she could remember."  
  
Reggie either nodded, laughed, or said "aww.. how cute!" as Audrey explained everything. Finally, when she finished, Reggie spoke. "So, wait, Otto apologized to you and everything?" she demanded incredulously. "That does not sound like him.." But Reggie had a pretty good idea why Otto was acting differenly around Audrey.  
  
Audrey merely shrugged. "I'm just glad we're on good terms. I really like Otto, you know."  
  
Reggie's mouth dropped. "Well..," she spluttered after a moment. "I had no idea it would be that easy! I thought I'd have to pester you all night to get it out of you!"  
  
Audrey grinned mischeviously in spite of herself. "I meant as a friend, Reggie," she said very unconvincingly.  
  
"Ha!" she exclaimed with a smile. "Sure you did!"  
  
"Just don't tell Otto, okay?" Audrey said, the grin quickly vanishing from her face. "I'd completely die if he ever found out."  
  
"Are you kidding?" said Reggie, waving a hand. "I would never tell Otto. Your secret is completely safe with me," she assured Audrey with a grin.  
  
"Thank you, Reggie," Audrey breathed with immense relief.  
  
"So tell me more about Theodore," Reggie said, leaning across her bed to switch off a small lamp that was emitting the only source of light in their cabin. The lamp clicked off, and the cabin was suddenly covered in a thick darkness.  
  
"Theodore?" asked Audrey. "Be glad you haven't met him yet - he's a real jerk. Completely self-obsessed."  
  
"Reminds me of someone else.." Reggie muttered, referring about Otto. But she decided she wouldn't put him down in front of Audrey. She didn't want to be the one to cause any fights. "So if he's such a jerk, why can't you stop thinking about him?"  
  
"It all has to do with what happened today. I'm just a little worried about things between him and Otto, that's all.. And especially since we met up with each other by the rink tonight and walked back together.."  
  
"Sounds like you had a pretty good time with that," said Reggie simply, turning to face Audrey in the dark. "But what does that have to do with Theodore?"  
  
"Well, Theodore has been my friend since I can remember. But now he seems to have gotten the idea that we should be.. more than friends," Audrey muttered, feeling slightly as though she were repeating everything she had said to Otto.  
  
"More than friends..," Reggie muttered. "So you guys have hung out all your lives and then one of you wanted to be more than friends.." she said, more to herself than to Audrey.  
  
"Yes. And I don't feel that way at all," continued Audrey. "But he doesn't get it. Whenever I talk to other guys, he gets really jealous and sometimes gets in fights with them. He thinks every guy is trying to steal me away from him, even though I was never 'his' in the first place. And now he's been acting like a real jerk to me lately, saying I'm flirting with other guys."  
  
"He shouldn't be acting mean towards you," said Reggie with disgust, no longer distracted with her own thoughts. "He just needs to move on and face the facts. Why do you put up with him anyway?"  
  
"The only reason I do is so I can be on his team for this competition," said Audrey. "He was the only person who offered me a spot in his group. And I really want to be in these races. Plus," she added rather reluctantly, "he is a really good athlete, and I think our team has a pretty good chance of winning. I really want to get all that RE-PLAY gear, if not the sponsorship."  
  
"That makes sense," said Reggie. "But anyway, I think I know what you're thinking."  
  
"What's that?" said Audrey.  
  
"You're worried that Theodore might try to pick a fight with Otto," said Reggie sensibly.  
  
"Exactly," said Audrey, sounding depressed. "If Theodore saw Otto and I walking today, which he might have, then he's going to want to get revenge on Otto, even though he didn't even do anything! I just feel it in my gut. And especially since Otto embarassed him at the meeting today.."  
  
Reggie hesitated. "What do you mean by 'revenge'?"  
  
"Who knows?" said Audrey. "You'd be surprised what Theodore could do. I've seen him do some pretty scary things over the past year.. Will you help me keep an eye on him tomorrow and make sure he doesn't do anything that might cause Otto to lose the first race? Not that he would, but just to make sure.."  
  
"Of course!" said Reggie. "But maybe we're jumping to conclusions too fast. Theodore might not have even seen you and Otto together."  
  
"I hope not," said Audrey. Then, figuring it would be the perfect time to ask her, she blurted, "Reggie, to you like your friend, Twister?"  
  
Reggie almost choked on the air, if that was possible. There was a long pause where the only thing that could be heard was the soft chirping of the crickets in the forest outside.   
  
"Well?" Audrey asked, although she was sure she already knew the answer.  
  
Reggie laughed nervously. "Uh.. define 'like'?"  
  
"Reggie!" she said impatiently.  
  
"Okay, okay," she confessed. "I guess I have for a long time.. Since Christmas.. I just didn't want to believe it."   
  
"Why not?" Audrey demanded, confused. "I talked to Twister today. He seemed funny! Plus, he was really cute. If I had a good friend like that, I'd grab him before anybody else could!"  
  
"Yeah, I know," said Reggie. "But the only problem is, last year I told my other friend Sammy that I liked him, and I don't want to hurt his feelings by ditching him for Twister!"  
  
"Wow, that really sucks," muttered Audrey. "I don't think I've met Sammy. Is he in your team, here in New Zealand?"  
  
"Yeah," Reggie muttered.  
  
"Well, just like Theodore, one of them has to face the facts!" Audrey declared. "Which one do you like more?"  
  
"I really had a lot of fun hanging out with Twister tonight," Reggie admitted. "But Sammy's really smart, and I like that. I just don't know," she said, throwing her hands up into the darkness.  
  
"Isn't it amazing that we just met each other twelve hours ago, and already we're sharing these huge secrets with each other?" asked Audrey.  
  
"Yeah, it is," said Reggie, laughing slightly. "I think we're going to be really good friends."  
  
"Me too, Reg," said Audrey sleepily. "Me too.." And those were the last words uttered from her lips that night, as she drifted off to sleep, dreaming about surfing the huge California waves, with Otto by her side.  
  
***  
  
Theodore McGill stormed into his cabin and slammed the door as hard as he could. His cabin-mate and best friend ever since he could remember, Jason, was still up, reading a skateboard magazine. He didn't even look up when Theodore walked in.  
  
"Hey, mate, how's it goin?" he asked in his New Zealand accent.  
  
"Awful," Theodore muttered bitterly.  
  
Jason looked up. "What do you mean?"  
  
Theodore flopped down onto his bed and sighed. "Audrey started hanging out with that new kid from the US, Otto Rocket."  
  
Jason shrugged his shoulders. "So?"  
  
"So, he's trying to steal her away from me! He's a really great athlete, unfortunately, and Audrey might think that-"  
  
"Mate, you've got to stop worrying about Audrey! Just let it go, I don't think she likes you as anything more than a friend," said Jason honestly, running a hand through his unkempt blonde hair.  
  
"Oh, shut up!" said Theodore angrily, pulling his bedcovers over his head.  
  
Jason shrugged his shoulders again and went back to reading his magazine.  
  
"I've got to get back at Rocket for doing this to me! He's going to pay for insulting me at the meeting, and trying to get close to Audrey..," said Theodore through the covers after Jason said nothing more.  
  
Jason rolled his eyes, but grinned to himself as he remembered the look on Theodore's face when Otto had insulted him."You planning anything?" he asked lazily.  
  
"Well, the first race is tomorrow.." said Theodore thoughtfully, taking his head out from under his covers. Jason looked up, and by the shine in Theodore's eyes, he could tell he was thinking up a scheme right then.  
  
"Don't get too carried away, mate," Jason warned. "If you do something serious you could get our team kicked out of the competition.."  
  
"Don't worry!" said Theodore casually. "If I can just show Audrey that Otto's not as good at racing as he says he is.."  
  
"How are you going to do that, mate? He really is a great athlete!" said Jason. "Have you seen that newspaper article about him in the New Zealand Times?"  
  
"Maybe if I...," said Theodore, thinking. "You'll just have to wait till tomorrow to see," he said mischievously.  
  
"Whatever," said Jason, stretching his arms in the air and yawning. "Now let's get some shut-eye. We have the first race tomorrow, don't forget."  
  
"Yes, the first of four races that Otto Rocket is going to lose," muttered Theodore.  
  
***  
  
A/N: One more chapter till the first race. Thanks for all the reviews, keep 'em coming! :-) 


	5. Chapter Four: Into the Circus Tent

Author's Note: *Sigh* I think I know what you're thinking.. I think you would like to see some coupling. Specifically Reggie and Twister, or Reggie and Sammy, or Reggie and somebody. Personally, so would I! But my main goal is to write a good story here; one with a steady plot. The thing is, if I decide to put in some kissing or making out right now, the plot is going to feel very pushed and forced on, and I don't want that. You guys are so awesome with your reviews, and I know that some of you are hinting that you like Reggie/Twister, and you want to see it happen! All I can say is to stay tuned, readers, and I will do my best to make this story an enjoyable one! But for now, feel free to read the fourth chapter, which I think you will like.. ;-)  
  
***  
  
Getting There  
  
By Taryn  
  
Chapter 4: Into the "Circus Tent"  
  
***  
  
Audrey's portable alarm clock began to emit loud screeching sounds that pierced her dreams horribly.. She was surfing in Ocean Shores with Otto, when a huge pelican flew right into her and started 'chirping' terribly. It was a moment before Audrey's dreaming self realized that the 'chirping' was really her alarm clock. As she slowly drifted out of her wonderful slumber, she faintly realized that it must be six AM. Six already.. She groaned and slowly rolled over, carlessly slamming her hand onto her clock until her fingers pushed the 'off' button on her alarm. Reluctantly she stumbled out of bed and clasped her arms behind her back in a stretch. She squeezed her eyes shut even more so than they already were, and forced them open unpleasantly. Audrey had only gotten six hours of sleep last night, because she and Reggie had stayed up late talking. Six hours of dreaming about Otto hadn't seemed to be nearly enough. But Audrey was somewhat glad that she was awake now, because today was the big day - the first race.  
  
Audrey's alarm had cut into Reggie's dreams as well, although she was rather thankful.. Twister and Sammy had been sumo-wrestling, wearing nothing but adult Pampers, and Reggie was drowning in quick-sand off to the side. Then Jared from the Subway commercials Reggie had seen far too many times had come up to Sammy holding his old pair of pants that he used to wear before he lost all that weight, and started making a screeching sound that had merely turned out to be the alarm. Reggie's eyes popped open, her heart thumping fast inside her chest.  
  
"Oh my god," Reggie muttered to herself, placing her hands over her face and rubbing her eyes. "I did not get enough sleep."  
  
"Me neither," Audrey mumbled. But she was now fully awake. It rarely took her more than a minute or so to become alert in the morning, no matter how tired she was when she woke up. "But aren't you excited? Today is our first big race. I wish we weren't on separate teams!" she said with disappointment as she looked herself over in a large wall mirror that hung inside their cabin.  
  
"Yeah," said Reggie, still rubbing her eyes. "I really wish I would've met you before we chose our group."  
  
"Maybe next year, if we all enter the competition again, we can be on the same team," said Audrey enthusiastically, slipping out of her pajamas and changing into an old t-shirt and a pair of Adidas shorts. "Well, I'm gonna go for a jog," she said to Reggie, who was still nothing but a tired lump under the blankets of her air matress. "You want to come?"  
  
Reggie removed her hands from her eyes. "That's okay, I need more time to wake up," she said with a huge yawn that made her jaw give a scary crack.  
  
"Alright," said Audrey. She put on a pair of old Nike gym shoes and, closing the cabin door behind her and leaving Reggie alone to fully wake up, started jogging at a steady pace, while her mind flooded with thoughts about what would happen at today's race.  
  
***  
  
Otto was up and ready to go at 6:05 am. The minute his alarm sounded, he was zapped from his dreams about winning the sponsorship and thrown back into reality. The moment Otto realized he was awake, he had leapt from his bed and changed in about thirty seconds' time. Half of him was extremely excited about the race, and his other half was still very nervous about what Theodore had said to him last night.  
  
Otto looked around the cabin briefly, and his eyes stopped on Twister, who was still sound asleep in his bed and snoring loudly. Otto frowned, picked up one of his pillows, and whipped it across the room so that it hit Twister directly in his face.  
  
Twister's snores came to an abrupt halt and he began coughing instead. His previously limp hands flew up to the pillow on his face and chucked it instinctively back across the room, where it knocked down a plastic picture frame of his family with a nasty crash. "Dude, what was that for?" Twister asked sleepily, pulling his covers over his head.  
  
"Come on, come on," said Otto impatiently. "You have to get dressed, in, like, five minutes! I want to get out to the equipment tent early, so I can check out all our stuff and make sure Theodore didn't do anything to it!"  
  
"Ugh, not that again!" said Twister with frustration. "Dude, nothing bad is gonna happen!"  
  
Otto picked up some clothes from Twister's open duffle bag and threw them at him. "I just want to be sure. Now come on, get dressed! We're going."  
  
Five minutes later, with heavy persistance from Otto, Twister was dressed carelessly in mismatched clothes and unlaced gym shoes, still extremely groggy but nevertheless prepared to go to the equipment tent with his best friend.   
  
"I still don't get why you're being so careful," muttered Twister as he and Otto closed the cabin door behind them and headed down a dirt path toward the main campground. "I could have been in bed for at least another whole hour!"  
  
"Dude, for all we know, Theodore could be trashing our whole team's stuff right now! You want our team to win the races, don't you? You want us to get all that RE-PLAY gear, don't you?" he persisted.  
  
Twister sighed as a warm breeze swept down from the sky and glided gently across his face. It reminded him of Reggie's kiss on Christmas. "Yeah," he muttered distractedly as he let himself get lost in the pleasant memory.  
  
***  
  
Audrey jogged silently and aimlessly for what she estimated was two miles on one of the many dirt paths that branched out into the forest by her cabin. It was still very early in the morning, and the weather was absolutely perfect. It was one of those times when it was neither too hot nor too chilly, and a perfect breeze ran elegantly and continuously throughout the atmosphere. The sun was still rising, and only visible as a half circle on the far right side of New Zealand, amongst a clutter of pinkish pastel clouds.  
  
Audrey was the only one on the path, and she loved it that way. It gave her a chance to be herself and get lost in her thoughts. After about ten minutes, Audrey was pleasantly surprised to find that the path had been shaped so that it ended where it started, right back at her cabin. Audrey smiled with content and wiped a trickle of sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. When she opened her cabin door, she found Reggie sitting on the floor and stretching her legs, dressed and ready to go.  
  
"Hey, Audrey!" said Reggie happily as she stretched forward until her fingertips brushed the top of her left foot.  
  
"Hey," she breathed as she closed the door behind her.  
  
Reggie looked at her watch. "It's only 6:20 AM, and I'm already up and ready to go! That's big for me," she muttered with a grin. "We still have about an hour before breakfast, and two hours before the starting race. Anything you want to do in the mean time?"  
  
Audrey knew immediately. She had wanted to do it ever since the thought crossed her mind last night. "I want to check up on something. Why don't we go to the equipment tent to make sure our gear is in-tact and everything for the race today?" she suggested casually.  
  
Reggie raised her eyebrows. "Why wouldn't it be?"   
  
"Well," Audrey muttered reluctantly as she took her scrunchie out of her hair, letting it fall down to her shoulders in a tangled mess, "You know.. Remember how I mentioned last night about Theodore not liking Otto? I just want to make sure.."  
  
"..that he doesn't do anything to Otto's stuff?" Reggie finished for her. "That's a great idea, even if it is a long shot. Let's go right now, while it's still early!"  
  
Audrey nodded. "Yeah, that's a good idea. Let me just take a quick shower first, though; I smell like a rancid pig!"  
  
Reggie laughed as she got up from the floor. "All right."  
  
Five minutes later, Audrey emerged from the cabin's bathroom in a newer and more stylish outfit than before. Reggie sat on her bed and kicked her legs up and down as she waited for Audrey to brush her hair and put on some lip gloss. "Let's go," she said finally after she capped a tube of pink gloss and placed it carlessly on her dresser. She started toward the cabin door.  
  
"Right behind you!" said Reggie, leaping from her bed and following Audrey at her heels. Although she doubted very much that this was even worth their time, she was somewhat curious as to what, if anything, they would find discover in the equipment tent.  
  
***  
  
"Come on, dude, we're almost there," said Otto, stopping abruptly on the gravel path he was traveling on and beckoning impatiently for Twister, who was quite a distance behind. "Geeze, if you can't even walk half a mile to a frickin tent, I don't even wanna know how you're gonna do in the race today.."  
  
Twister panted heavily as he jogged up to Otto with a bit of difficulty. "Dude, the 'half a mile' you're talking about is two miles, uphill, with you running the whole way. What do you expect me to do, want to race? It's six AM, Ottoman!" he breathed with exasperation.  
  
Otto merely frowned and started to make his way toward the ten once more. "I'm just anxious, that's all."  
  
"Why does our cabin have to be so far away from the equipment tent?" Twister whined as he trudged on behind Otto, ignoring the stitch that had formed in his side long ago.   
  
"It'll be worth it to catch Theodore wrecking our stuff," said Otto savagely. "Maybe we can even get him disqualified from the competition!"  
  
Twister stared incredulously at his best friend. It seemed as though they didn't only switch time zones upon arriving to New Zealand, but personalities as well. Usually it was Twister who had far-out ideas, and Otto who was there to talk some sense into him. But not anymore. "Hello?!? Ottoman, you're jumping to way too many conclusions! We don't even know what Theodore's planning, if he's planning anything at all! For all we know, he forgot about his stupid threat by now! So don't be disappointed if our equipment is in perfect shape..," he muttered, frowning at Otto.  
  
The two boys had finally reached the tent filled with the equipment belonging to every race participant in the competition. Otto faintly remembered Rahiki explaining the tent to all the competitors in the meeting, but he had been far too busy staring at Audrey to pay the slightest bit of attention. It didn't really matter, though. All that was important was that he and Twister were there, and that they made sure their race equipment was in perfect shape for the start of the competition.  
  
It was 6:45 am by then. Twister stared up at the huge white tent with fascination. "Woah, Ottoman!" he exclaimed in a whisper, "This is just like one of those circus tents, except without all the stripes and flags! And it doesn't have that smell of popcorn and elephant crap either.."  
  
Otto scowled briefly at his best friend before turning his gaze back to the bottom of the tent, trying to spot some sort of a door or entrance. "Just follow me," he muttered to Twister, "And make sure to keep your voice way down."  
  
Otto slowly crept closer to the tent, with Twister tip-toeing right behind him, still staring with awe at the size of it. When Otto was close enough, he pressed his hands against the hard cloth material of the tent and began walking around its perimeter, still searching for some sort of entrance. After walking around what seemed like half of the tent without any luck, he pressed his ear against the cloth, hoping at the very least to see if there was anything going on inside. Twister did the same.  
  
"Do you hear anything, dude?" Twister asked after a moment in a normal tone.  
  
"Ssshhhhhh!" said Otto, pressing his ear more firmly against the tent's material, hoping it would help. He listened carefully, however the only things that could be heard could hear were the chirping of hundreds of birds scattered throughout the campground, as well as the soft rustling of the many forest trees as the light wind weaved through their branches. But then.. Otto listened harder, trying to drown out the familiar sounds, and he heard it.. Footsteps coming from inside the tent..  
  
"Do you hear that?" Otto whispered immediately to Twister.  
  
"What, a bunch of annoying birds and-"   
  
"No!" Otto hissed. "Listen harder! The footsteps!"  
  
Twister mimicked Otto's position and pressed himself harder against the equipment tent. After a moment Otto saw the realization dawn over Twister's face. He nodded eagerly. "Yeah, dude, I hear it!" he whispered. "What could it be?"  
  
"Theodore, of course! And maybe that other kid that he hung with.."  
  
Both boys listened harder. Otto could hear the footsteps coming closer toward his end of the tent wall, and then they stopped. He could faintly make out the sound of two people whispering to each other. Then there was silence once again, the birds all around them droning on endlessly. All of a sudden, the boys heard a loud crash from inside the tent, and the gasps of two inside.  
  
"That's it! We got em!!" said Otto with excitement. "Let's move in!"  
  
Twister and Otto bolted around the remainder of the tent until they finally found the door, and blindly charged at the two suspects. Otto tackled one with all his might right to the ground, and from the commotion behind him he could tell that Twister had gotten the other.  
  
The two people they had tackled screamed loudly.  
  
"Aha!" Otto announced victoriously as he started to turn over the person he had tackled while continuing to pin them down with his knees. "I've got you now, you son of a- AUDREY?!" Otto gasped with horror.   
  
He hadn't even bothered to look at the face, or even the clothes or body type of who was in the tent when he made his tackle. He had been so sure it was Theodore that he didn't even think it was necessary.. and he had actually tackled and pinned down the one girl who he was in love with.. The one girl who had decided to give him a second chance to make a better impression of himself. And there he was, pinning her to the cold ground with all his weight.   
  
Otto numbly scrambled to his feet and, once he was standing, reached out his hand to help Audrey up as well. To his great relief, she took it. Otto quickly averted her eyes as she rose shakily from the ground, and looked at Twister instead. He wasn't surprised to see that Twister had tackled Reggie in a similar manner. The two of them seemed too shocked and embarrassed to say anything to each other. Twister was merely helping Reggie up without a word, his face glowing bright red.   
  
Why couldn't it have been the other way around? Otto thought furiously. It wouldn't have been a big deal if I'd tackled Reggie. But I just had to go for Audrey..   
  
Otto quickly turned back to Audrey, who was now brushing the wrinkles unnecessarily out of her pants and staring at the floor. Otto swore he imagined it, but he thought he saw a grin begin to spread across Audrey's face. Then, out of absolutely nowhere, she burst out laughing. She started laughing so hard, in fact, that she doubled up and fell right back onto the floor. There were no words in the human vocabulary to describe the relief Otto felt at that very moment. There was only one thing he could do - join in. And he did.  
  
Reggie and Twister looked disbelieveingly at Audrey and Otto, and then directly at each other. They each blinked once, and suddenly, at the exact same time, burst out laughing as well. Nobody had officially kept count, but it seemed to be a good five minutes of nothing but laughing, over and over again, before the situation finally lost some of its humor.  
  
When Otto was able to stop himself, he looked past Audrey to see where the crash he'd heard had come from. It looked as though a snow board had fallen off it's hook, and knocked down four others, creating a sort of domino effect. Audrey's last few giggles died down and she followed Otto's gaze.  
  
"Reggie and I decided to check the equipment tent since we were up early, to make sure each of our teams' gear was okay for the race today, just to be safe," she explained to Otto as she got up off the ground for the second time, being the first one to actually speak. "And we accidentally knocked down a board, as you can see," Audrey said as she waved a hand toward the small mess. She was sill quite shaky. "I guess you guys had the same idea..?"  
  
"Yeah," muttered Otto. And suddenly, he snapped back into reality. "Are you hurt?" he asked Audrey so quickly that it startled even Reggie and Twister. "Oh my god, Audrey, I am so sorry I tackled you, I don't know what I was thinking, I wasn't looking-"  
  
Audrey quickly shook her head and grinned. "Otto, it's okay," she interrupted gently as she took a step toward him. "I'm fine - just a little surprised, that's all. Have you ever played football before?" she asked jokingly.  
  
Otto merely grinned and shook his head. "I'm glad you're okay," he muttered, looking directly at her.  
  
In an attempt to remind them that he and Reggie were still there, Twister spoke up. "Somebody got a cheesy threat from Theodore and wanted to make sure his gear was still in shape for the race," he said, staring pointedly at Otto. "That's why Otto and me came here in the first place."  
  
When Audrey heard that, she looked alarmingly at Otto. "Can we talk?" she asked him quietly. "About that.."  
  
"Sure," Otto said quickly, then looked at Reggie and Twister. "Are you guys all right?"  
  
Reggie nodded and threw Twister a playful look. "I'm fine, thanks. Twister and I can put these boards back. You guys go ahead to breakfast, alright?"  
  
Audrey smiled gratefully at them. "Thanks guys," she said. "I owe you one." She began to walk toward the door of the tent, and beckoned for Otto to follow her. With one last appreciative look at Reggie and Twister, Otto quickly crossed the length of the equipment tent to follow in Audrey's wake.  
  
Audrey and Otto walked slowly out of the tent together. Audrey chose a faded dirt path that led a scenic route through the forest and along a large lake that Otto hadn't noticed in his short time here. He silently walked at her side, staring at the ground. For the next few minutes, the only thing that could be heard was the soft crunching sound their feet made as they advanced upon the path.  
  
Audrey finally turned to look at Otto and grinned. "That sure was weird in there, huh?"  
  
"Yeah," Otto breathed with a grin.  
  
"So," she said meekly, examining one of her fingernails, "What was that about back there? When Twister said that Theodore threatened you?"   
  
"Oh," said Otto, laughing slightly. The last thing he wanted for to Audrey to know he was actually worried about it. "Theodore came up to me before I went to bed last night, and basically told me he was going to do something to me if I didn't leave you alone," he said casually.  
  
"He said that?!" said Audrey angrily, her hazel eyes bulging out as she turned to face Otto. "I'm going to give him a piece of my mind when I see him-"  
  
"No, you don't have to!" Otto insisted quickly. But he regained his cool composure in an instant. "Don't go out of your way," he said nonchalantly. "At least wait until all the races are over."  
  
Audrey sighed and ran a hand impatiently through her hair. "I'll try," she muttered. "I'm just really sorry that he made you worry. But I suspected he would do something he like that. That's just the kind of person he is."  
  
"He didn't worry me!" Otto said quickly. "No, uh, I just wanted to make sure he wasn't going to do anything.. The competition is really important to me, you know."  
  
"Well, about that," Audrey said, a bit more cheerfully, "Reggie and I checked out your equipment, as well as hers and Twister's. Reggie just wanted to make sure that it was okay for the race. And everything is fine," she assured him. "We were checking the snowboards when you guys, er.."  
  
"Again, I'm sorry about that," Otto muttered, the heat rising in his face. "It was so stupid."   
  
But Audrey just waved a hand and grinned. "It's okay," she said again. "I forgive you!"  
  
After a short while of walking in silence once more, Audrey and Otto finally came upon the familiar entrance grounds, where the cafeteria cabin sat peacefully, the aroma of bacon and syrup floating from it temptingly.   
  
They entered the cafeteria and were mildly surprised to find that it was completely full. Every other kid at the camp had apparently woken up early and gone to breakfast as well. Audrey and Otto found a seat amongst the others right next to Sammy.  
  
"Squid, this is Audrey," Otto muttered unimportantly as he took a large bite of frech toast. He didn't really want to draw too much attention to her. The last thing he needed would be for the Squid to suddenly like her too.  
  
Sammy turned from a book he was reading at the table to Audrey, who sat on the other side of Otto and smiled. "Hi," she said, putting up her hand into a little wave.  
  
"Hello," said Sammy cheerfully, turning back to his book.  
  
Audrey glanced curiously at the book that Sammy was reading. "Is that the Lord of the Rings?" she asked with interest.  
  
Sammy looked back up, surprised. "Uh.. Yeah," he said with a grin. "So wait, you read?"   
  
Audrey raised an eyebrow and looked at him skeptically. "Er.. yes, I love Lord of the Rings. And many other books," she said acidly.  
  
"No, no! I didn't mean it like that!" Sammy said immediately, shaking his chubby head from side to side. "I'm just surprised, that's all. Usually serious athletes aren't into books." Sammy laughed and jerked his thumb at Otto. "I'll bet the longest thing Otto's ever read was an article about Tony Hawk."  
  
Otto's face turned red and he smacked Sammy on the back of the head. "Shut up, Squid," he muttered. Audrey was watching them with amusement.  
  
"I read!" Otto said indignantly to her. When she only grinned, he said, "What? I do!"  
  
To Otto's great relief, he noticed that Reggie and Twister had arrived at the breakfast cabin as well, skimming the various tables for any sign of their friends. Audrey noticed as well, and together they were able to flag them down.  
  
"Hey, dude," Twister muttered to Otto as he sat heavily onto the bench of their table, next to Sammy. Reggie took a seat on Audrey's empty side.  
  
After a while of talking, eating, and laughing about the incident in the tent, Otto noticed out of the corner of his eye that Theodore was sitting at a neighboring table, glaring right at him.   
  
Audrey noticed as well, and leaned toward Otto to whisper in his ear. "He's jealous," she explained quietly. "That I'm sitting with you."   
  
Otto could feel her warm breath on his ear with each word she spoke, and it sent soft shivers up his spine. He turned his head to look at Audrey, and her face was only inches away from his, if even that far. He had a sudden urge to kiss her, but instead, his hands started to shake and he dropped the cup of orange juice he was holding, right onto his lap.  
  
***  
  
Note: FYI, the competition finally starts next chapter!! Romance doesn't start for a few more chapters. Hang in there! As a hormone-enraged, romance-obsessed teenager, I feel your pain! ;-) 


	6. Chapter Five: The First Race

Author's Note: Well, the first race finally starts here! Not much else to say, just read and enjoy!  
  
***  
  
Getting There  
  
By Taryn  
  
Chapter 5: The First Race  
  
***  
  
Rahiki stepped onto a podium in the front of the breakfast cabin and surveyed its inhabitants with anxious eyes. He took hold of the microphone that was positioned at the center of the podium and tapped it lightly. "Excuse me," he said quietly, his voice echoing throughout the cabin. But nobody noticed. As Rahiki continued to look around, he saw food flying everywhere, kids running around to different tables to talk, and one odd, plump boy in the midst of all the chaos, calmly reading a large book.  
  
He cleared his throat noisily in the microphone. "I said EXCUSE ME," he uttered the words so loudly that the microphone gave a painful screech for several seconds after. The chatter amongst the cabin quickly died down, and the kids all let out moans of protest and clamped their hands over their ears.  
  
"Yes, well," Rahiki said into the microphone in a normal tone, "now that I've got your attention, I wanted to let you know that the first race will begin in an estimated twenty minutes! You are advised to promptly finish eating and report to the equipment tent to get the gear you will need for the race."  
  
"What are we gonna have to do?" yelled a teenage boy dressed from head to toe in Quiksilver Snowboarding gear.  
  
Rahiki smiled down at the boy. "I will let you know right before the race itself starts. But I can tell you that you will need to get your skateboards and bikes from the equipment tent. That is all."  
  
The chatter in the cabin resumed almost immediately, and Audrey turned to look at Otto excitedly. "I can't believe this!" she squealed. "The race is actually going to start soon! This is so exciting!"  
  
Otto, who was frantically trying to mop up the orange juice he had spilled all over his pants moments ago, nodded distractedly. "Yep, real exciting.."   
  
When they were all finished with their breakfasts minutes later, Otto, Twister, Reggie, Audrey, and Sammy made their way through the crowd of participants, out of the breakfast cabin, and onto the closest path that would lead them to the equipment tent.  
  
"Man, I'm so excited!" said Twister with a grin as he bounced up and down while he walked. "This is gonna be awesome!"  
  
"I know!" screeched Reggie as she smiled and twirled around once, sending specks of dirt and dust flying from the ground.  
  
"I'm really nervous..," Sammy muttered, clutching his Lord of the Rings book to his chest with both hands. "I just hope I don't break any bones.."  
  
Twister rolled his eyes. Everybody snickered except Otto, who had his hands in his pockets and was lost in thought. He still couldn't help thinking about Theodore, and it was driving him crazy. And he hadn't seen his dad all morning. Not only did he feel bad about fighting with him the other night, but when he had woken up that morning he felt incredibly stupid about what he had done at the meeting as well. Everything was just making him anxious.   
  
Audrey looked at Otto as they walked and frowned up at him. To his bewilderment, she put her arm around his shoulders and rested her head on his shoulder, still walking. After a moment Otto realized that she was just playing around.  
  
"Otto, what are you thinking about now?" she asked, teasing him.  
  
He sighed and shrugged. "Just stuff," he said miserably.  
  
"Well, don't let anything distract you while you're racing. I want to beat you fair and square!" she said playfully, taking her head from his shoulder.  
  
Otto rolled his eyes and smiled. Audrey had the power to make him feel better and forget all about whatever was on his mind. "Oh yeah?" he asked, his eyes now shining just as brightly as hers. "Not if I can help it!"  
  
Audrey giggled, and Otto chased her the rest of the way to the equipment tent, leaving Twister, Reggie, and Sammy alone. The three teens heard their rapid steps in the dirt grow more and more distant.  
  
"Like I said before," Reggie muttered to Twister, "He totally likes her!"  
  
***  
  
Every teenager who was in the race stood just behind the starting line. Otto could feel his heart pounding inside his chest. The race was about to begin. Once they had gotten to the equipment tent, he and Audrey had thoroughly checked out his equipment one last time to make sure it was okay, and everything seemed fine. As they had exited the tent, Otto had felt as though a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders.  
  
They were all at a new area of New Zealand, called the Kalamazoo Prarie, where the first race was to take place. It was a huge stretch of land, and as Otto looked forward past the finish line he could see it going on an on for what seemed like miles. Right now he and all the other race participants were standing in one long line on a very wide dirt path that continued a long way up a tremendous hill. All the parents and other spectators, Otto knew, would be waiting for them at the finish line..   
  
Rahiki stood in front of all the competitors with a loud-speaker in one hand, looking around at them all with excitement. He licked his lips, held the loud-speaker up to his mouth, and said, "The race will begin in two minutes, boys and girls! I am about to explain to you what is required of you at this time."  
  
At that, any trace of conversation suddenly died down, and there was a dead silence throughout the Kalamazoo Prarie as every one of the thirty-or-so anxious heads behind the starting line turned to look up at Rahiki. A large bird flew overhead and made a loud chrip, but nobody seemed to notice.  
  
Rahiki smiled and took a deep breath, bringing the loud-speaker up to his lips once more. "Everybody will start by running up this hill," he explained, gesturing his hand behind him as to indicate the area. "It is about one mile long itself. If you are confused as to where to run, all you have to do is follow the dirt path. Your skate boards will be waiting for you at the top of the hill. You are to locate your board amongst the others and skate down the rest of the hill. I have to warn you, however, that it will be very steep." Out of the corner of his eye, Otto saw Sammy gulp and wipe some perspiration from his face. "You will eventually reach four 10-foot grinding polls positioned over a small pond," Rahiki continued. "You can grind any one of your choice. If you fall into the pond, you have to keep trying until you make it. If you try to walk around the pond instead, you will be caught. We have cameras hidden all over the forest to catch any misbehavior that might be involved. Anyway! After you grind the   
  
poll, you will continue to skate on the path, which will now change from dirt to cement, for another quarter-mile. You should arrive at a bike stand, which will hold all your bikes. You will leave your skateboard and begin biking the three miles to the finish line. The first team to have all its members finish gets one star for this round. The first person to finish also gets a star for this round. As you all already know, the person with the most stars in the end will be considered the winner of the sponsorship. And the team with the most stars will get all the free RE-PLAY sports gear. I wish you all the best of luck. Agaubm the race will start in two minutes!" Rahiki lowered the loud-speaker and walked off to the side of the racing path.  
  
Everyone began talking to each other excitedly, quickly breaking the neat line they had been arranged in behind the starting line. Reggie, Twister, and Sam quickly walked up to Otto.  
  
"Hey, Rocket Boy! Are you ready for the first race?" asked Reggie with a grin. "Not still scared of 'ickle Theodore, are you?" she cooed.  
  
Otto scowled at her. "Fine, thanks, Reg," he muttered acidly. But he smiled at Twister and Sammy. "What about you guys? How's my team doing?"  
  
"Ready as I'll ever be," said Twister confidently.  
  
Sam rocked in place and grabbed his stomach. "I'm so nervous, I think I'm gonna barf! Did you hear what Rahiki just said? We're gonna have to run a mile uphill! And then grind poles?!"  
  
Otto rolled his eyes. "You'll do fine, Sam. We've done stuff much more hardcore than this back at home! Don't worry."  
  
"Hey, guys!" called Audrey, jogging toward them.  
  
"Hi, Audrey," said Twister, moving to make room for her in the small circle their team had formed.  
  
"Hey," she said as she stopped between him and Reggie. "I just wanted to tell all of you good luck. Even though we're on different teams, I hope you all do great in the race."  
  
Reggie smiled. "You too, Audrey. Good luck!"  
  
"Yeah, good luck, Audrey," said Twister.  
  
"I'm sure you'll do much better than me!" said Sammy.  
  
"Get ready to lose, Audrey," said Otto, teasing her. "I want to beat you fair and square."  
  
She grinned. "Not if I can help it."  
  
Otto smiled and shook his head. "Good luck," he said seriously.  
  
Audrey tilted her head to one side and nodded. "Thanks you guys," she said happily. "Well, I'd better get back to Theodore before he throws a fit," she mumbled, rolling her eyes. She gave one last wave before she disappeared back to her team.  
  
"I see you're hanging out with Rocket's band of losers," Theodore muttered to Audrey with a frown when she had rejoined her own group.  
  
Audrey looked at him angrily and spoke through gritted teeth, "How dare you - telling Otto to leave me alone! I have my own mind, and I'm gonna give you a piece of it when this race ends!" Audrey turned her back sharply, now facing Jason and Summer, the other two members of her team.   
  
"He is so incredibly stupid!" she hissed to the two of them.  
  
Jason shrugged and grinned. "You know him, Audrey," he muttered to her, "Always has to be in the way." He walked over to Theodore, leaving Audrey to talk to Summer.  
  
"Dude, if you're trying to make her like you, I'd say your plan is taking a turn for the worst!" he said seriously to his best friend, once they were out of hearing distance from Audrey.  
  
"Oh, be quiet!" whispered Theodore, stealing a glance at her.   
  
"One minute until the race starts!" yelled Rahiki through his loud-speaker, startling most of the teenagers.  
  
"Are you still planning to get back at Rocket? Did you mess with his gear or something?" asked Jason quietly.  
  
Theodore sighed. "I figured that would be too predictable, so I didn't do anything yet."  
  
Jason snorted. "So you didn't do anything at all?"  
  
"Shut up," Theodore said quickly. "Maybe there's still some damage I can do while we're racing."  
  
Jason looked at Theodore, puzzled. "What do you-"  
  
"Everybody, please line up behind the starting line!" yelled Rahiki, his loud-speaker booming and echoing throughout the empty prarie. "The race is about to begin!"  
  
"You'll see," muttered Theodore. "Good things come to those who wait, Jase." He lined up between Audrey and Summer. Neither of them even gave him a second glance.   
  
Otto, Twister, Reggie, and Sammy lined up side by side, ready to go. All Otto could think about now was running as fast as he possibly could and winning the race. Rahiki stood at the side of the wide dirt racing path, and aimed a pistol toward the clear blue sky.  
  
"On my count!" he yelled to everybody. "Get ready," Everyone leaned forward. "Get set..," they all arched their backs, prepared to go at top speed. Otto's heart was beating.. faster.. faster.. faster.. he knew he was ready.. This was it.. "GO!!!" The sound of a shot pierced the air, and at that moment, thirty-some pairs of feet dashed over the starting line and onward up the hill. The first race had begun.  
  
Otto felt his feet pounding hard on the dirt path, and all he could see was the bodies of the people around him, running at surprisingly fast paces. Otto closed his eyes and forced his legs to go faster, and the next thing he knew, he had passed the majority of the teens, and was up in front with Theodore, Audrey, and Reggie. They were, Otto realized, probably the best athletes out of everyone there.   
  
Audrey started to take the lead slightly, her legs moving so fast that her body was a mere blur. The path began to slant upward, making it suddenly harder for Otto to run. He noticed out of the corner of his eye that Reggie had fallen a little behind. But to his surprise, he was exactly in line with Theodore. He gritted his teeth and forced his legs to move faster, but it seemed as though Theodore was doing the same.  
  
Meanwhile, Twister had managed to catch up slightly. Most people had slowed down as the hill began to slant upward, and he was right behind Reggie now, determined to make good time. Sammy was trying to pace himself and thus jogging at a calm pace. Nobody else was using this method, however, putting him currently in last place.   
  
Audrey was still in the lead. She had been part of her school's track team ever since she was in the fourth grade, and through dozens of medals and trophies earned over the years, she had proved to be an excellent long distance runner. It all seemed to be paying off now, because as she flew up the hill, she knew that nobody else could run like her. The hill was only one mile long, so it was no real challenge. Audrey stole a quick glance backward, and saw that she was leading by a fairly safe distance of about twenty feet. The first people she noticed were Otto and Theodore - running exactly at the same speed, right next to each other. Both their faces were screwed up with concentration, and at the sight of the two of them Audrey's stomach gave a nervous squirm.   
  
Otto was breathing hard as he continued to dash up the hill. His attempts to get in front of Theodore only resulted in an even more painful stitch in his side. He didn't know how Audrey could run so fast. She was getting even farther and farther ahead as the seconds flew by. Otto didn't understand it.. Back at home, he had been the best athlete - period. Nobody would ever dare to challenge him to a one-on-one competition of any kind, especially running, because they all knew Otto would win by a longshot. But now, Otto realized, he was no longer the best. He looked upward briefly, and was able to see the peak of the hill. It seemed so far away..   
  
Theodore was getting even more nervous as he and Otto neared the top of the hill. It was impossible to pass him up. Theodore knew that he and Otto were both exactly tied for second place at the moment, and the slightest alteration in his running speed would make him fall behind. He needed to think of something to stall Otto, but what..?  
  
Audrey was there first. She saw the hill's peak only yards above and dashed up the rest of the slope as fast as she could. She almost collided with the pile of skateboards that sat neatly atop the hill, but skidded to a halt just before sending them all down the hill. She quickly found her skateboard out of the bunch - for it was the only one of its kind, with a bright white dove - mounted it, and without so much as a second glance backward, began to roll down the other side of the hill. It was dangerously steep, and she wondered briefly what would happen if she fell..  
  
Theodore and Otto were still alongside each other, not far behind Audrey. Otto had seen her reach the top of the hill and continue down the other side, and it made him extremely anxious. Theodore's speed quickened and he managed to get slightly in front of him just before they reached the top. Once he got there, he also skidded to an abrupt stop, ignoring the throbbing pain in both of his legs. Theodore frantically scanned all the equipment. He spotted his own board right away, but he was looking for Otto's.. He immediately saw a long, slim board, sitting slightly astray from all the others, with the word 'Rocket' painted on the back. Theodore quickly ran over to the skateboard and picked it up just as Otto appeared at the top as well.  
  
"Hey!" Otto exclaimed angrily, his eyes surveying Theodore, "What are you doing with my skateboard?"  
  
"Go fetch, Rocket," Theodore said coldly. He tossed Otto's board down the side of the hill that they had just come from with all his might. He picked up his own board and sped down the other side after Audrey before Otto even had time to blink. He immediately spun around and watched in horror as his skateboard flew right back down the hill. He'd lose the race for sure if he chased after it and had to run the mile up again.. A wave of panic rushed over him. Theodore had gotten him after all..  
  
Reggie started running faster up the hill. She had slowed down to a jog for a couple of minutes, biding some of her energy, but now she knew she had the power to sprint the rest of the way up the hill. Just as she neared the top, she saw a figure standing there. She was completely bewildered to find, as she neared the top, that it was her brother.  
  
"Otto, what are you doing?" she screamed to him as she continued to run upward.  
  
Otto, jolted abruptly out of his panicked state, squinted and saw his sister coming up the hill toward him. His skateboard was doing cartwheels down the hill, but it hadn't passed her up yet.. There was still hope.. "Reg! Grab my board!" he bellowed loudly, cupping his hands around his mouth to amplify his voice.  
  
"What?" Reggie muttered to herself. But just then, as she skimmed the ground briefly, she saw Otto's skateboard tumbling back down the path toward her, picking up speed. She grabbed it right as it was about to fly down past her and hurriedly scrambled the rest of the way up, thrusting it toward Otto as soon as he was within reach.  
  
"Thanks Reg," Otto said hastily as he grabbed and mounted his board. He started down the hill, leaving Reggie to hunt for her own board.  
  
Audrey flew down the hill so fast that it was staring to scare her a little bit. The bushes and trees around her were only blurs as she sped by, her skateboard occasionally wobbling dangerously. She wondered if anything had happened yet between Otto and Theodore.  
  
In partial answer to her question, a loud voice called to her from behind: "Hey, Audrey!" It was Theodore.  
  
Audrey, surprised by his voice, took a quick look behind her while struggling to stay balanced on her board, and saw Theodore about forty feet away. She couldn't see Otto, but she suspected that the little speck in the distance near the top of the hill was him.   
  
How did Otto get so far behind? she wondered, looking back at the path ahead of her. But she shook the thought out of her head and tried to get her board to go faster. The last thing she wanted to do was tie with Theodore. The path was almost starting to become level now; she could feel the ground changing beneath her feet.  
  
Otto was filled with such an intense rage that he was barely aware of what he was doing. He knew now that he hated Theodore. He would've given anything at that very moment to punch him as hard as he could in the face or, at the very least, beat him in the race. He didn't care anymore if he finished second or third, as long as he did better than him. Otto cruised down the hill on his skateboard easily, and he knew that Reggie wasn't far behind him. As he looked downward, he could see Audrey in the distance as a mere speck. But he also saw a flash of chocolate-brown hair not far behind.. He gritted his teeth and bended his knees, trying to get as much speed as possible. He should be where Theodore is..  
  
Theodore started sweating. He wondered what had happened to Otto and was beginning to think that maybe what he did to his board wasn't such a smart move. What if Otto told on him, and he got disqualified from the competitiont? Theodore's heart pounded hard in his chest at the very thought.  
  
Otto realized that he needed to act quickly if he wanted to regain his position in second place. Slowly, gradually, he neared Theodore. He decided he would try to distract him. Otto squinted and could see that Theodore wasn't very far in front anymore.  
  
"Hey, ugly!" yelled Otto.  
  
Theodore's heart stopped for a moment as he looked behind him and saw Otto catching up. He wondered frantically how he had managed to catch up so fast..  
  
"You didn't think I'd make it, did you?" yelled Otto, trying to keep Theodore looking at him instead of where he was going.  
  
Theodore's body was frozen in place, and he just let his skateboard roll him down the hill. His eyes were fixated on Otto. He couldn't believe that he had caught up so fast. All of a sudden, Theodore's skateboard came to an abupt stop, and he flew several feet into the air before landing hard on the ground. He had run into a huge rock on the side of the path.  
  
"Yes!" yelled Otto savagely. This was his chance to take second place. While Theodore was in shock, and trying to realize what just happened, Otto flew right by him on his board and yelled, "I'll be waiting for you at the finish line, lame-o!" He laughed and turned his head to the path before him, and realized that his only competition now was Audrey. He gulped, trying to pick up speed as the hill ended and the ground finally leveled.  
  
Audrey had heard Otto yell to Theodore, and wondered what had happened. She didn't dare look behind her.  
  
Otto was going as fast as he could. He didn't want Theodore to catch up to him now. That would just make things worse. The next thing Otto needed to focus on was passing up Audrey and getting first place. He knew he could do it..  
  
Audrey glided over the path like it was nothing. She knew she was in the lead by at least a quarter mile. She glanced over her shoulder, and no longer saw Theodore. Instead, to her great surprise, she saw Otto! He was no more than fifty feet away from her. She smiled, even though she knew he couldn't see it.   
  
The grinding polls were just up ahead. Audrey had been slightly nervous about that since the race had started. She couldn't grind well at all - it was one of the few skateboarding tricks she had never really been fond of, and thus ignored and avoided. But now, as she saw the poles right up ahead, she felt a wave of panic rush through her. It would be really embarrassing if she fell off the poll and into the pond - especially if Otto saw.. What would he think of her then?  
  
Audrey was right in front of the polls now, and decided to use the one all the way on the left. Holding her breath, she leaped up onto the poll with her skate board, and slid along easily for half of the way, thinking hopefully that she just might make it. But then she leaned too far to the left, and before she could even blink, she fell backward into the pond, her surroundings blurred around her.  
  
Otto had gotten to the grinding polls just in time to see Audrey fall. His mouth dropped. He had seen her do such a perfect grind on the ramp the other day.. He skated over to the shallow pond and hastily took hold of her arm and hoisted her back up onto her feet.  
  
Audrey was surprised to see that Otto had caught up to her, and even more blown away that he was actually helping her. He was her competition! She smiled as she stood before him, somewhat shaky.  
  
"Thanks," she muttered gratefully as she quickly her board from out of the pond.  
  
"No problem," said Otto quickly, turning around to go back to the beginning of the poles. He grinned. "I want to beat you fair and square."  
  
Audrey smiled again. "Oh really? Let's go, then!"  
  
"You don't have to tell me twice," Otto muttered under his breath as he backed up to get speed. "Bend your knees more," he said casually as he skated toward a pole and leapt up onto it, grinding across with complete ease. "See you at the finish line." And he disappeared down the path.  
  
Audrey grinned at the spot he had just been in. She really liked him, she realized. This time, she grinded the poll easily. She flew down the path and caught up with him in no time. When Otto saw her, he raised his eyebrows.  
  
"You're fast!" he muttered.  
  
"You know it," said Audrey, breathing hard.  
  
They skated side by side for about two minutes, each trying repeatedly to pass the other, but with no luck. Eventually they heard people grinding the polls behind them. It made Otto a bit anxious to go faster. He knew Audrey was a good athlete, but he didn't know that she was this good. He almost regretted helping her up by the polls - if he hadn't, he would have been in the lead..  
  
Audrey was completely focused on winning the race now. As long as she and Otto were in front of Theodore, she had nothing else to worry about. It seemed like the quarter-mile went by so fast, because before they knew it, Otto and Audrey were at the bike rack. Audrey kicked her skateboard aside and quickly found her bike. Otto did the same. They took off and began to speed down the rest of the path, still side by side. As Audrey was riding, she looked behind her to see if anybody else was close by. She saw two kids far in the distance. She looked ahead and pedaled faster, taking notice to the fact that both her legs were starting to ache significantly.  
  
For the first mile, Otto and Audrey were far in the lead. As hard as they tried, as hard as they pedaled, neither one could pass the other. Both of them were getting quite tired.  
  
Theodore was livid at this point. All he could think about was getting to Otto. Once he did that, he wasn't sure what he would do, but it would be something involving a meeting between his fist and Otto's face. Otto had cost him a win. Plus, he was up in front with Audrey.. He was really going to pay now..   
  
Reggie and Twister were having a blast. Even though they weren't in the lead, they were still making good time, and were confident that their team would take first place for this race. But the they were still wondering which person would finish first - Otto, Audrey, or Theodore?  
  
Audrey and Otto had biked two miles on the path now. There was just one mile left. Otto's legs hurt so badly that he could barley feel them anymore. He gritted his teeth and kept on going. All Audrey could think about was winning, or even tieing with Otto - either way, she'd be immensely satisfied. She glanced at him and saw that he was hunched over and in deep concentration, his eyes fixated ahead. All of a sudden, a familiar voice came from behind.  
  
"Anybody miss me?" yelled Theodore. Audrey and Otto whipped their heads back with horror and saw that Theodore had caught up to them. He wasn't more than ten feet behind, and the look in his eyes gave Otto shivers. He was so shocked that he nearly stopped pedaling. But he felt a mix of panic and anxiety that gave him the rush he needed to go on.   
  
Audrey was more nervous than ever now. Just when she thought Theodore was out of their way, he appeared out of nowhere. She just pedaled her bike harder and hoped that the race would be over soon. As she squinted, she could see the finish line up ahead, and could almost hear the spectators cheering.  
  
"Otto, look !" she muttered, nodding forward. "Not much farther."  
  
Otto smiled when he saw what Audrey was referring to. If he could just keep it up for a little while longer, this would all be over..  
  
"Did you hear what I said?" Theodore shouted. His voice was much clearer now. Audrey reluctantly looked behind her, and saw that he was even closer now. She gulped and glanced nervously at Otto.  
  
Otto's mind raced. If Theodore caught up to them, he'd surely do something destructive. He just didn't know what to do anymore.  
  
"You guys must be deaf!" said Theodore. He didn't have to yell anymore, because he was directly behind Otto. "You're going to pay!" he said angrily. He pedaled harder, and was now in between Audrey and Otto. He kicked one leg toward Otto, hoping to knock him off his bike. Otto swerved to the right and dodged Theodore.  
  
Audrey saw what was happening.. "What are you doing?!" she screamed angrily at him. "Don't you dare try that again!"  
  
Theodore didn't answer. Instead, he tried to ram Otto with his own bike. Otto used his hand to push him away. Theodore wasn't expecting that, and started to lose his balance. He fell off his bike with a painful crash, narrowly missing Audrey.  
  
Otto, horrified, kept pedaling. As he neared the finish line he prayed that none of the spectators had seen what had just happened.. Audrey didn't know what to say, so she just kept her eyes on the finish line. It was less than fifty feet away now.  
  
"This is it," Audrey muttered. She could hear people cheering them on.   
  
The two were now going at full speed, both hunched forward. They looked at each other quickly, and then looked back at the finish line. It was right there.. Ten feet away.. Five.. Two.. Before Otto knew it, he and Audrey had broken the silk ribbon that marked the finish. The race was finally over..  
  
The sound of peoples' screams were so loud that Audrey barley heard Rahiki say, "Ladies and gentlemen! We have a tie! The winners of the first race are Audrey Parker and Otto Rocket!"  
  
Audrey slammed on the her breaks and waited until her bike stopped completely, the tires scratching loudly against the dirt, before throwing it down on the ground. Her throat was incredibly sore, she was gasping for breath, she was sweaty and undoubtedly smelly, and her legs were so numb that she had to look down to make sure she still had them. But despite all that, she felt like the happiest person alive. It had been a long race, and she was so glad it was over. Audrey looked at Otto, who had also thrown down his bike and was panting as well. She smiled.  
  
"Good race," she said between breaths, leaning over and putting her hands on her knees.  
  
"Yeah," said Otto, trying unsuccessfully to regulate his breathing pattern. He was only faintly aware of the fact that he and Audrey had won. The crowd was screaming so loudly, and it make his head pound uncomfortably.  
  
Audrey looked at Otto for a moment, and then, before she could stop herself, went over to him and wrapped her arms around his middle in a brief embrace. He closed his eyes and hugged her back. After five seconds, they let go. Otto blushed and looked down, now almost completely sure that this was all a dream.  
  
Audrey grinned. There, she thought to herself with satisfaction, That was't so hard. She looked around at the screaming spectators waved at them enthusiastically, which only resulted in even louder screams. While she was absorbed in the crowd's attention, Theodore crossed the finish line slowly on his bike, not seeming very happy at all. Otto held his breath as he watch him hurl his bike into the ground and trudge away silently. As Theodore passed, he looked directly at him. He didn't seem particularly angry, but the look in his eyes gave Otto an uneasy feeling, and somehow he knew that things were about to get much worse.  
  
***  
  
A/N: To be continued, as always.. Review, please! 


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